Handy Hints for a Visit with Santa

Thank you for selecting VisitsWithSanta.com to provide Santa for your Holiday event. To help you in making Santa's visit a most enjoyable event, we have prepared the following list of suggestions. Items 1 through 5 should be done well before Santa arrives. If there is something missing from this or your contract, please contact us immediately.

Have your camera/s ready. Be sure to have all the film, videotape and batteries necessary to take the photos you want or need to get. Be sure to recharge your video camera batteries.
Reserve a special parking place for Santa. It should be right where he is visiting. If he parks down the street or around the corner and has to walk all the way to your home, or office, he will be winded & exhausted when he gets there. Remember, he's a Senior Citizen, wearing a heavy velvet suit that gets very hot. We always budget about five minutes for parking. Any more time than that is part of your allotted time.

If the visit is at your home, leave an opening at the end of your driveway. Put a temporary barrier in the space. Have some fun and put a sign out "Reserved for Santa!" Or back one car down the driveway with a space in front. When Santa calls that he is there, whoever greets him outside, can pull the car up in the driveway and Santa can park right behind.

If your event is at a company facility, office building or hotel, try to make arrangements for Santa to park in a valet or loading area. Again you can mark the area with a fun sign. This makes it easier for him to be fresh and ready to bring joy to your guests.
Have your gifts ready. Santa does not bring any candy canes or gifts with him. He will hand out your candy and gifts and can carry in one bag of presents (40 lbs or less) for children or guests. They should be well labeled. We suggest a large black marking pen and writing directly on the gift, as tags can easily fall off. All packages should fit into one 35-gallon trash bag. He will transfer the gifts to his 'Santa' bag. If you have more gifts, Santa will usually ask a couple of the 'big kids' (adults) to be honorary Elves and instruct them to bring in the extra gifts.
Have a sturdy chair for Santa to sit in. Folding chairs, plastic chairs, and low chairs (the one's you sink into) are not good. Santa likes a chair that is sturdy and stable. A good straight-back dining chair, with no arms, works well. He should be able to sit comfortably with the chair supporting him plus a child on each knee.
Place the chair near your Christmas tree or in a holiday setting, maybe in front of a decorated wall or any festive type of backdrop. Your photos will have more impact. Place a wreath, a few Christmas cards or your children's drawings on the wall to make a wonderful difference. Leave a foot or two between the chair and the tree or wall. This will allow room for others to gather around and behind Santa's chair for group photos. Fireplaces do look nice but remember putting Santa too close to a real fire is not good for his comfort or health.
Get everyone together, before Santa enters. Timing is everything. Santa's contracted time begins the minute he arrives. Minutes spent getting everyone together are part of your contracted time. If everyone is scattered around the house or office, you lose valuable time. Santa and you can coordinate. He should call you when he is five minutes away from arriving. That's your cue to have someone go outside to meet Santa, and for you to get everyone together and maybe to sing some Christmas Carols. If Santa is to bring in presents, the person meeting him can help him fill his bag. Then, at the right moment, Santa can pop in and join everyone in their singing. If you have a large group of children to see Santa, you should assign someone to be Santa's helper and coordinate the children as they each visit Santa.
Think about photos with everyone. Yes, some teenagers will shy away or think it is too childish, to have a photo with Santa. Don't worry; Santa can stand up for a "buddy" photo. What about grandma and grandpa? Take a photo with Santa and Grandma Hugging. And, nothing is more fun than having Santa ask Grandpa if he's been a good boy!
If there is a balance or payment due to Santa, place it inside a Christmas card or envelope. It never looks appropriate when someone gives cash to Santa. So, as Santa is departing, hand him the envelope and say, "Thank you Santa and here is a Christmas card from all of us."

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Handy Hints for a Visit with Santa