Families who set up a Santa rental in Philadelphia for Thanksgiving weekend get Santa in the room while the cousins, aunts and grandparents are all still in town.
One small gift on the hall table
Each child gets one small labeled gift, handed to a grown-up before Santa comes in, so the big presents still wait for Christmas morning. Set those small gifts on the front hall table, tags facing out, with the names already written. Santa can then hand the right one without sorting a pile on the living-room floor. The rest of the visit still happens by the tree.
Why that weekend
Everyone who traveled in is still in the house. The children get Santa before the December rush, and relatives who will not be back later in the season still see him. Friday, Saturday, or Sunday after Thanksgiving is the start of the season in that living room, not a substitute for Christmas morning. Families in Fishtown, Germantown, Springfield, and Doylestown book this weekend when the extra bedrooms are already full. The cousins who slept over still get a turn. The aunts who drove in for the meal still get into the group picture. That is the point of the weekend: the people who are here now, in one room, before they scatter.
Picking the day and the tree
The evening of the big meal is too full. Friday or Saturday evening, once the leftovers are packed up, gives Santa a calmer room. The children are not still at the table, and the cousins are not halfway out the door. Pick one of those two evenings and keep the time after dinner, not during it. Santa greets each child while the house is still full, then leaves so the rest of the night belongs to the family.
If the tree goes up that weekend, Santa can arrive just after the lights go on, and the children see both on the same night. That is not a decorating party. The lights are already on when he walks in, and the visit is the greeting, the gifts, and the photos. A small tabletop tree works if the tall tree is still in the box. Keep the lamps on so close-up photos have light on faces.
Photos while everyone is here
This may be the only day this year the whole family is together, so take the group picture by the tree with Santa. Then take a turn for each child beside him. A grown-up stays with the children who are waiting so the line stays calm. A real bearded Santa is the choice for those close-up portraits. Traditional Santa, in the traditional suit with a full styled beard, is the lower-cost choice. Mrs. Claus can join once, as an add-on, if you want her in the group picture with the cousins.
Call once the family’s travel plans are set, so that weekend is on the calendar before December dates fill. Children can write their letters early and hand them to Santa that weekend; see a letter for Santa to read aloud for how the reading runs. The rest of a house call follows Santa home visits. To set the evening, contact us with Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving and how many children will be in the room.
Thanksgiving weekend is the visit while the house is full. Santa wears the full red suit. The small gifts wait on the hall table, the tree is already lit, and the group picture happens before anyone leaves town. Pick Friday or Saturday evening after the leftovers are packed, and have the list of names ready so every cousin gets a turn. Sunday afternoon works if Friday and Saturday are already spoken for, as long as the children are still in the house and the relatives have not started their trip home. Have the letters written before he arrives so the reading can happen in the same turn as the gift.