Finding the Best Mall Santa

Santa pictures are somewhat of a tradition for my family. We have pictures of my dad as a child visiting Santa with his siblings. My parents have pictures of me and my sister seeing Santa over several years. So, of course, I had to scope out the Santa options for BabyGirl. There are 2 major malls nearby and all sorts of other Santa appearances in our neighborhood. Occasionally, your local paper may print a list of the Santas in your area, and most community gatherings will advertise if Santa is taking a break from toy inspection to hear a few Christmas wishes. Here are a few tips from our Santa visit, which I have to say, resulted in a precious photo of BabyGirl's first Christmas.

Before you go for pictures:

• While shopping or mall walking, ask the information center when Santa will arrive, or check the mall's website. Some start as early as mid-November.
• Once Santa does arrive, check out the packages and prices. For us, one local mall only had a small package with 1 5x7, a few 4x6's and wallets for the same price as another mall that offered more pictures in the package. In terms of cost, the decision was pretty easy.
• Figure out how many pictures you'll need to share with family. We wanted to include a picture for us, her grandparents, her great-grandparents, and siblings. This will help you pick your package more quickly.
• Ask about substitutions. We didn't need quite so many wallets, but more medium sized pictures. Since I was there on a weekday when Santa and his helpers were not busy at all, they were more than happy to answer a few questions.
• Does Santa's look make a difference to you? I've seen the traditional red suit with white fur trim, an elaborate Father Christmas with silken brocade vest, and what I'll call the Workshop Santa. His button down shirt had images of teddy bears flying planes and driving cars; his red pants were held up with suspenders; and his socks had great red, green and white stripes. He looked like he had truly taken a break from the toy workshop to visit the kids. Of course, the most important detail: real beard vs. fake beard. Workshop Santa had a handlebar mustache he must have worked on all year.

Once you've decided:

• According to Santa's photographers and helpers, the best time to go is before Thanksgiving. When we went, there was only one child before us, and no one in line after us. The stress level was way low and BabyGirl loved looking at the decorations for the few minutes we had to wait. If going before Thanksgiving is a bit early for you, try first thing on a Sunday morning. Our church service isn't until 4pm, and it was great to walk the mall on a weekend with so few crowds early on a Sunday.
  
• If you have other errands to run at the mall, visit Santa first. Why pay money for a picture of your tired, hungry child? Its easier to finish shopping a bit early than to get out of line after waiting 10 or 20 minutes to handle bathroom breaks or get home for a nap.
  
• When preparing the outfit, leave the topmost layer for last, as in "just before it's time to see Santa put on this sweater". The kids will be more comfortable, and you won't have to worry about spit up or spills.
• Finally, if your child is small or is still an infant, see if Santa will let him or her stand on his lap. The Santa we visited suggested this and the picture is adorable. BabyGirl is happy, you can see her dress, and in Santa's words we have "a picture of the baby instead of a big, fat man."

Even with all these ideas, it's not about 'the perfect picture.' Santa is fun, even magical and there is something about Christmas that awakens a little something special in many hearts. If your child is scared, try taking a picture in front of a decoration around Santa's Village: the pretty trees, the oversized ornaments, and candy canes. You may look back and have a gap of Santa pictures, but it will at least be a picture of a happy child. Although, the 'terrified of Santa pictures' can still be pretty funny.

Photo from Scared of Santa from the Chicago Tribune