Households from Fox Chase to Torresdale who hire Santa Claus for the holidays in Philadelphia can have him by the tree, at the family party or at a church or school night.
A family evening at home
The children gather by the tree in the living room or the family room. Each child has a turn beside Santa while a grown-up stays with the others. Labeled gifts go to a grown-up first, so Santa can hand the right one without sorting in front of the group. Keep the lamps on and the path to the tree clear. Families in Fox Chase, Mayfair, Holmesburg, Bustleton, Somerton, and Torresdale book this kind of evening in Northeast Philadelphia when the whole household is already in one room.
A bigger party downstairs
When more cousins come, the party moves downstairs. Santa sits at the far end of that room so the children can come up one at a time. Gifts still wait on a table, labeled, before he comes down. The TV stays off until he leaves. This is still a family visit, just with more people in a larger room. Fox Chase houses and Torresdale houses both use that downstairs room when the living room cannot hold everyone. The children wait together, then come up one at a time, same as they would by the tree upstairs.
A church or school family night
Santa arrives after the program or during the refreshments in the hall or the gym. One volunteer brings the children up by class or by age, youngest first. He greets each child and leaves when that portion of the night ends. No building names are needed. The date, the neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia, and about how many children are enough to plan that night.
A real bearded Santa is the choice for close-up photos by the tree. Traditional Santa is the lower-cost choice. Mrs. Claus or elves can join once, as add-ons, if the room can take them. Santa still greets each child. Having Santa read a child’s letter fits a home evening in Northeast Philadelphia; see having Santa read a child’s letter for how that reading runs.
What to have ready
Have the date, the neighborhood, which setting it is, and about how many children. Close-up portraits are why families ask for real bearded Santa. To set the evening, contact us with Fox Chase, Mayfair, or whichever neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia is the visit. Santa wears the full red suit for a tree visit, a downstairs party, and a family night alike. A tree visit is the quieter plan. A downstairs party is the plan when extra cousins are already in the house. A family night is the plan when the children are already at the program. Pick one so the evening has a start and an end.
A tree visit, a party downstairs, and a family night are three different plans, and each one works when the gifts are labeled and a grown-up stays with the children who are waiting. Fox Chase and Torresdale evenings by the tree are quieter than a downstairs party with extra cousins. A family night in Mayfair or Holmesburg needs the time the program ends. Bustleton and Somerton households use the same three settings. Pick one plan for the night so every child in Northeast Philadelphia still gets a turn beside him. Santa greets each child, the gifts come out, and then he leaves. That is the whole evening in any of those six neighborhoods.