Now that Christmas is around the corner. families are booking ol ‘ Saint Nick and Mrs. Claus for those Jolly, Holly home visits.
Each year, we aim to ensure that your visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus is a fun, personal, and truly enjoyable experience, without the long lines associated with traditional mall visits. Our hope is that our visit will be a very special one.
The following are some frosty tips to help make your Santa visit merry.
Most home visits will last 45 minutes to an hour. The number of children present will usually determine what Santa can do and how long he can spend with them.
REMEMBER – this is your visit. Santa will do all in his power to make it special for you and your guests, just let him know your wishes in advance, so he can be prepared to make the visit magical.
VISITATIONS OTHER THAN HOME VISITS ie. CORP. CITY EVENTS etc. YOU WILL RECEIVE AN EMAILED DOCUMENT AFTER YOUR EVENT HAS BEEN BOOKED
Plan ahead and stay in touch with Santa before the day arrives so your home visit is guaranteed success.
This is not Santa’s first sleigh ride and he often has a wealth of tips and ideas that can help you. All Santa’s approaches events differently and you will have special things in mind as well. Call Santa or Mrs. Claus, chat, and make certain to finalize your plans before the day of your event.
Santa will need to know how many people will be there and the ages of the children. Be sure to share the names of the children; Santa will do his best to remember them. You can also introduce them simply, such as, “Santa, this is Suzy who is seven years old, and Michael just turned nine.”
Santa is happy to accommodate special needs for those he visits. He should also know about any language barriers or cultural considerations ahead of time.
If you live in a gated community or have a special entrance, make sure to share access codes and directions ahead of time.
Santa needs the cell phone number of someone designated to wait for his text message that he is ready to make his entrance. Your backup person should make sure their phone is fully charged, keep an eye on their messages, and be prepared to help if there are any issues.
If there’s been the passing of a loved one recently or someone is currently stationed overseas, it helps Santa to know, just to avoid touching on issues. And if you have someone missing from the event, Santa could help you record a special message for them.
Does your family participate in “Elf on the Shelf”? Santa loves being “in” on this tradition! But it helps Santa to know the name of those elves and what they have been up to.
There are several things to consider as you get your home ready for Santa on the day of your event.
Parking is important, especially if it’s limited (or your house is on a hill). Ask your Santa if they need a space reserved for them. One great method: Have someone park in Santa’s spot, then right before he arrives, pull the car out and leave a sign that says “Reserved for Santa.”
After Santa and Mrs. Claus makes their entrance, they should have a designated place to sit. The best kind of chair for them is a strong one, preferably with a straight back and without arms. When they have someone in their laps, they need both feet flat on the floor. Often a dining room table chair will work just fine, and you can dress it up with a pretty Christmas blanket. Forest green or dark blue look great in photos!
We recommend putting it near the Christmas tree or someplace well-lit with a festive background. Avoid putting the Claus’s near the roaring fireplace; they are already very warm. Keeping the home, a little cooler is great for Ol’ St. Nick and the Mrs. Avoid putting them in front of lots of glass because you’ll get flash bounce and glare in your photos. Arrange the chair so the kids can sit down in front of them and leave room behind the chairs for Mom’s and Dad’s to gather behind for photos.
Santa and Mrs. Claus are for the whole family. When the music is blaring or the crowd is loud and rowdy, some of the magic will be lost if Santa can’t be heard. While Santa is there, have everybody join in and have your revelers tone it down a bit until Santa heads for the sleigh.
If you arranged your Santa visit with a split (a deposit paid earlier) or payment in full or if you want to give the Claus’s a holiday tip, the best method is to have the payment and/or tip in a Christmas card and envelope at the front door, ready to hand to Santa when he comes in or when he’s leaving.
Parties can always get a little hectic, so stay on track and keep your guests happy with these tips.
Introduce Santa to both kids and adults; Christmas is for the kid in all of us!
Santa may have other families to visit, so be mindful of his dedicated time with you.
Understand that Santa won’t be able to memorize every name. If you have a tradition, like a special cookie or nicknames or customs, let Santa know in advance, and again at the event. Maybe remind him “of that time Santa brought something special” if this would be meaningful to the audience.
Be upbeat and get everyone to join in on songs, stories, and other activities. If you show enthusiasm, others will too!
As cute as it might be, sometimes it’s best not to put all the children together. The younger, squirmier kiddos should stay in their parent’s laps. If a child is having a meltdown, have someone assigned to help them go somewhere where they can calm down.
Remember that all Santas and their Mrs. Claus have unique pacing and rhythm based on your guests and home atmosphere. Be flexible and allow the timing to flow naturally.
(FOR ALL HOME VISITS PARENTS ARE REQUIRED TO BRING A MIN. OF ONE GIFT FOR THEIR CHILD THIS IS NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE HOST) Presents are the biggest part of Christmas! The big man in red is a pro at gift-giving, but there are a few things you can do to help him out.
Put your presents in a large plastic trash bag marked perhaps with a bright ribbon. Make sure it’s easily accessible and able to be lifted into Santa’s bag. If there are lots of presents or they are extremely heavy, get some elf hats and have a few helpers meet Santa outside. Remember, if you cannot carry all the gifts at once, it might be hard to have Santa carry all of them at the same time, too.
Write the name clearly in large print with a marker directly onto the wrapping paper. Labels usually fall off in Santa’s bag. If this is a group gathering, make certain you can distinguish between people with the same name. If the names might be challenging, have someone help Santa with pronunciations.
If this event includes many families, have a few small backup gifts just in case someone did not get the word. stuffed animals and gift cards work well. You could even pass them over saying, “Oh, Santa, you dropped these.” There’s nothing so disappointing that a child doesn’t get a gift. This does happen from time to time.
Of course, you can just hand them out and open them. Little kids will often just do this anyway. But another fun way is called a “Countdown and Out.” Santa hands out the presents, but everyone waits to open them until Santa is leaving. Santa starts the countdown, saying, “1,2,3,4,5, etc. Merry Christmas!” Then the paper flies! The advantage is that Santa leaves on a high point, and no one tries to follow him out to see the reindeer. In fact, assign someone to make sure the kids don’t follow him outside.
Meeting Santa always needs photographic evidence, so make sure you’re ready for this important task. Don’t want the pressure on you? Hire a photographer instead! (We have a list of wonderfully talented photographers).
Have all your cameras and smartphones ready, fully charged, connected to wi-fi, and prepared before the event begins.
Try to get the photos done early in the event. You’ll have time to get everything you want and folks are still fresh with the wonder of the visit. Then you can relax and just visit!
Santa is usually good with pets, but if you want photos with pets, there should be a lap blanket and plenty of advanced notice. If Santa has to visit someone else that day who is allergic to pets, he might not be able to hold your pet for the photo. Instead, he will ask you to hold them and stand or sit nearby.
Cookies & Milk with Santa & Mrs. Claus. This often presents an opportunity for a very intimate time and some beautiful videos and pictures with your child or children. If possible, have a special gift or two to be placed in Santa’s bag per child upon arrival. This also presents a perfect situation if there is something special your child might be going through ie. they may have lost something that Santa can magically replace. Santa will have your child take the gift from the bag which always creates an exciting moment. (Please Call for details for a jolly MILK & COOKIES experience)
We are very excited to be coming to your Photo session this year…Thank You
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Happy Holidays!
Santa’s Workshop Team 🎅
We wish you joy and wonder this Christmas season! Welcome Santa Visits into your home, where holiday magic, kindness, and cheer turn moments into memories that last a lifetime.”
