Tips for a Home Visit From Santa
Santa is delighted that you have decided to make him a part of your Christmas memories. To help you in making the most of Santa's visit, he has prepared the following list of suggestions. He is always happy to discuss ways to enhance your event, so please don’t hesitate to contact him.
HAVE YOUR CAMERA READY
Be sure to have all cameras, camcorders and batteries necessary to take the photos you want. Be sure your batteries are fresh. Consider where Santa will be seated for pictures and take some sample shots at the same time of day. Alter the lighting accordingly. Don't rely on flashes for the bulk of the lighting or red-eye is pretty much guaranteed. Also, make sure you know how to use your camera or camcorder since there is no worse time to learn than just after a once in a lifetime moment has passed!
CONSIDER SANTA'S ARRIVAL
Ideally, Santa's arrival should be out of view of your guests, especially doubting tweens and teens. Santa can reasonably explain why he's driving a pickup instead of a sleigh, but it's better to not have to. If Santa will need to fill his sack privacy will be an even greater concern. Also remember that Santa's hair and suit are quickly mussed by rain, so having a greeter with an umbrella is a good idea in wet weather. And the suit is quite warm, so unless you want a sweaty Santa, he needs park close to your event.
HAVE YOUR GIFTS READY
Santa does not bring any gifts with him. He will gladly hand out your gifts and can carry in one bag of presents (no more than can fit in a 50 gallon lawn bag) for children or guests. Gifts should be labeled in a very legible handwriting, and if there are any challenging pronunciations they should be communicated to Santa before the event. Tags should be taped on well lest they fall off in Santa's sack. It might be a good idea to have a couple of extra presents on hand as well, in case of an unplanned extra guest.
HAVE A SPECIAL CHAIR FOR SANTA
Folding chairs, plastic chairs, and low chairs (the one's you sink into) are not good. Santa needs a chair that is sturdy and stable that will allow his thigh bone to be parallel to the floor, or the kids will slide. A good, sturdy 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 IN A HOLIDAY SETTING
Maybe in front of a decorated wall or any festive type of backdrop, and 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. For the best pictures, adjust overhead lighting and place table or floor lamps to adequately light the scene. Flashes should only be used to "fill" not to light the scene. Finally, having a clock in Santa's view can help him to pace his visit.
WHEN PAYMENT IS DUE
Please place it inside of a Christmas card or an envelope. It doesn’t look appropriate for Santa to just be handed cash. When Santa is ready to leave simply say something like “Thank You Santa, and here is a Christmas Card from us that we wanted you to have.”
HAVE YOUR CAMERA READY
Be sure to have all cameras, camcorders and batteries necessary to take the photos you want. Be sure your batteries are fresh. Consider where Santa will be seated for pictures and take some sample shots at the same time of day. Alter the lighting accordingly. Don't rely on flashes for the bulk of the lighting or red-eye is pretty much guaranteed. Also, make sure you know how to use your camera or camcorder since there is no worse time to learn than just after a once in a lifetime moment has passed!
CONSIDER SANTA'S ARRIVAL
Ideally, Santa's arrival should be out of view of your guests, especially doubting tweens and teens. Santa can reasonably explain why he's driving a pickup instead of a sleigh, but it's better to not have to. If Santa will need to fill his sack privacy will be an even greater concern. Also remember that Santa's hair and suit are quickly mussed by rain, so having a greeter with an umbrella is a good idea in wet weather. And the suit is quite warm, so unless you want a sweaty Santa, he needs park close to your event.
HAVE YOUR GIFTS READY
Santa does not bring any gifts with him. He will gladly hand out your gifts and can carry in one bag of presents (no more than can fit in a 50 gallon lawn bag) for children or guests. Gifts should be labeled in a very legible handwriting, and if there are any challenging pronunciations they should be communicated to Santa before the event. Tags should be taped on well lest they fall off in Santa's sack. It might be a good idea to have a couple of extra presents on hand as well, in case of an unplanned extra guest.
HAVE A SPECIAL CHAIR FOR SANTA
Folding chairs, plastic chairs, and low chairs (the one's you sink into) are not good. Santa needs a chair that is sturdy and stable that will allow his thigh bone to be parallel to the floor, or the kids will slide. A good, sturdy 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 IN A HOLIDAY SETTING
Maybe in front of a decorated wall or any festive type of backdrop, and 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. For the best pictures, adjust overhead lighting and place table or floor lamps to adequately light the scene. Flashes should only be used to "fill" not to light the scene. Finally, having a clock in Santa's view can help him to pace his visit.
WHEN PAYMENT IS DUE
Please place it inside of a Christmas card or an envelope. It doesn’t look appropriate for Santa to just be handed cash. When Santa is ready to leave simply say something like “Thank You Santa, and here is a Christmas Card from us that we wanted you to have.”