Santahap@gmail.com
Thank you for selecting Santa Hap to be a part of your Christmas Event.
Santa Hap will always strive to make your Santa visit a special time – the following hints will help make Santa’s visit a special time for everyone.
Items 1 through 5 should be done well before Santa arrives.
1. HAVE YOUR CAMERA READY:
Be sure to have all cameras and batteries charged and readily available
to take the photos you want. It is recommended that you have one person appointed to direct photo order and posing.
2. RESERVE A SPECIAL PARKING PLACE FOR SANTA:
It should be right where Santa is visiting. Remember, Santa is a Senior Citizen wearing a heavy suit that gets very hot. Santa wants to fresh (and dry) for your visit and photos, parking close will be a great help. 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.
3. 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 then transfer the gifts to his “Santa” bag. If you
have more gifts than will fit in his sack, Santa will usually ask a couple
of the ‘big kids’ (adults) to be honorary Elves and instruct them to
bring in the extra gifts.
4. HAVE A SPECIAL CHAIR FOR SANTA:
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,
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. Please no recliners, rockers or such.
5. PLACE THE CHAIR IN A HOLIDAY SETTING:
Maybe in front of a decorated wall or any festive type of
backdrop, and your photos will express the holiday season. 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. While fireplaces make a wonderful background remember Santa is dressed in a heavy, warm suit and is used to a cooler climate.
6. 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 the 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.
7. 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.
8. BALANCE OR PAYMENT DUE TO SANTA:
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”.
9. SANTA NEVER BREAKS FROM HIS CHARACTER:
This is very important and something most adults don’t mean to do.
Please don’t say things to Santa such as “Why you’re one of the
best Santas I’ve ever seen”. Don’t ask questions about when he
started playing Santa or where did he get his costumes. It’s very important that you treat Santa Hap as Santa Claus and not as someone that plays Santa Claus. Please help keep the wonder of Christmas for your children and others