Churches and schools that book a Santa Claus impersonator in Philadelphia for the night of the children’s Christmas pageant give the young performers something to look forward to once the last scene is over.
After the bows
Santa comes in after the program and the bows, once the families have moved to the hall or the gym for refreshments. The pageant belongs to the children. Santa’s part comes after it. He is not in the program and he is not in a manger scene. He arrives in the full red suit when the last scene is over and the children are ready for their turn with him. The families are already in the hall, so Santa walks into a room that is ready, not into a dark gym while people are still finding seats.
The children stay in their costumes for that turn, which makes for wonderful pictures: shepherds, angels, stars, a choir in matching scarves. One volunteer brings the children up by class or by age, and the youngest go first so the smallest ones are not waiting through the whole line. Churches and schools in Germantown, Overbrook, Springfield, and Abington book this kind of night when the pageant already has a start time and an ending.
The group picture and the gifts
Before the costumes come off, take a group photo of the whole cast with Santa. That picture is the keep of the night, with every child still in what they wore on stage. If the church or school gives each child a small gift, it is labeled by name and handed to Santa before he comes in. He can then hand the right gift as each child comes up, without a pile on the floor of the hall. The volunteer who lined the children up for the pageant can line them up again for Santa. Youngest first keeps the smallest ones from waiting through a long row of older children. Santa greets the child, hands the gift if there is one, and the next child comes up.
A real bearded Santa is the choice for close-up portraits in those costumes. Traditional Santa, in the traditional suit with a full styled beard, is the lower-cost choice. Mrs. Claus or elves can join once, as add-ons, if you want extra help with the line. Santa still greets each child. A church or school night in the city’s northwest neighborhoods runs the same way; see Santa visits in the city’s northwest neighborhoods for how that evening is booked.
What to tell us
Tell us the date, the time the program ends, the room, and about how many children. The rest of a program booking follows school and church Santa. To set the night, call us once the pageant time is set. Santa arrives after the bows, greets the line in the hall or the gym, and leaves when the last child has had a turn.
The pageant belongs to the children, and the visit after it belongs to Santa. Every child stays in costume for the picture, and then the night can end in the hall. Germantown and Overbrook programs use the same timing: bows first, Santa after. Springfield and Abington nights work the same way when the volunteer already has the children grouped by age. Santa greets each child in costume, the group picture happens before anyone changes, and then he leaves. The hall or the gym is already set for refreshments, so the families do not have to move again. Santa comes to that room, not to the stage. The children keep their costumes on until that group picture is done.