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NEW ORLEANS– It is a New Orleans tradition for kids to take their photos with the bearded man in the red suit affectionately known as “Black Santa.”

Today at Melba’s, he took socially distanced photos with kids to carry on the tradition even during a pandemic.

“Kids are not allowed to sit on Santa’s lap this year. Santa will go behind the kids and sneak a picture in and then leave again, that way we are all keeping a social distance,” Shannon Bridges with The Picture People 504 Photography said.

Black Santa is happy that the tradition is continuing in 2020, when kids really need to feel joy.

“It is something we don’t want to lose. We started it and it goes really well, so we wanted to continue this year,” Black Santa said.

Melba’s even gave the kids children’s books for visiting Santa today.