How to Prepare Your Kids for a Visit From Santa

A little preparation can turn a fun Santa visit into a Christmas memory your family will treasure.

Having Santa come right to your home or Christmas gathering can be incredibly exciting for children. But when the big moment finally arrives, that excitement can sometimes turn into shyness, nervousness—or complete silence!

After spending many Christmas seasons visiting with children and families, we've learned that a little preparation goes a long way toward making a Santa visit relaxed, fun and magical.

Here are some of our favorite tips from Santa & Mrs. Claus.

1. Tell the Kids Santa Is Coming—but Don't Over-Rehearse It

Part of the fun is anticipation!

Tell the children that Santa is coming to visit and let them get excited about it. Talk about some of the things they might want to tell him.

But don't worry about practicing exactly what they're going to say.

Some of our sweetest visits happen when children simply climb up beside Santa and start talking. They might tell him what they want for Christmas—or about their dog, their teacher, their favorite dinosaur or something completely unexpected.

That's part of the magic.

2. Don't Worry If Your Child Is Afraid of Santa

This is especially common with toddlers and preschoolers.

Think about it from their perspective. Santa is a larger-than-life person they've seen in books and on television—and suddenly he's standing in their living room!

Don't force a frightened child onto Santa's lap. Give them some time.

Santa can talk to Mom or Dad first. Mrs. Claus can sit nearby. The child can watch a sibling interact with Santa. Sometimes they'll gradually decide this Santa fellow isn't so scary after all.

And sometimes they won't. That's okay too.

A photograph of a two-year-old peeking at Santa from behind Dad can become just as precious as the perfectly posed Christmas picture.

3. Have the Children's Names Ready for Santa

One of the easiest ways to add a little extra Christmas magic is to give Santa some information beforehand.

Names are especially helpful. If Santa walks in and asks for your child by name, you can imagine what happens to those little eyes!

For a home visit, you can also provide a few details Santa might work naturally into the conversation—perhaps something the child has accomplished, an activity they enjoy, or something they've been working hard on.

Just don't tell the children you've supplied the information. 😉

4. Put Gifts in a Santa Sack Before He Arrives

If Santa will be handing out gifts during the visit, have them completely wrapped, labeled clearly and ready to go.

Even better: place everything together so it can easily be transferred into Santa's sack.

That prevents Mom or Dad from disappearing into another room looking for Emma's present while Santa has a room full of excited children waiting.

5. Think About Your Photos Before Santa Arrives

You don't need a professional photographer to get wonderful Santa pictures at home.

Before the visit, choose an area with good lighting and enough room for Santa, the children and possibly other family members.

Try not to put Santa directly in front of a bright window. Your phone's camera may expose for the window and leave everyone's faces too dark.

And designate one person as the photographer.

Otherwise you'll occasionally end up with six adults taking pictures while nobody is helping little Johnny find Grandma. 😂

6. Let Santa Talk to the Children

Pictures are wonderful, but some of the best moments happen between the pictures.

Give Santa a chance to ask questions. What do they want for Christmas? Have they been helping around the house? What do they think the reindeer are doing right now? Do they know what kind of cookies Santa likes?

You'll probably hear some hilarious answers.

Those conversations are one of the reasons we love private and small-group Santa visits. Instead of simply taking a picture and moving along, children have an opportunity to actually visit with Santa.

7. Consider Having a Christmas Book Ready

For a smaller gathering, story time can be a wonderful way to settle everyone down after the initial excitement.

And, naturally, Mrs. Claus is particularly fond of Christmas stories.

A beautifully illustrated Christmas book can become part of your family's tradition—bring it out every December and eventually you'll have years of memories attached to the same story.

8. Don't Try to Make Everything Perfect

This might be the most important tip.

Children are unpredictable.

Someone may cry. Someone may refuse to look at the camera. Someone may tell Santa something their parents REALLY wish they hadn't. 😂

And somebody will almost certainly make a funny face during what would otherwise have been the perfect photograph.

Don't stress about it.

Christmas memories aren't special because everything went perfectly. They're special because they're yours.

Take the pictures, enjoy the laughter and let the kids experience the moment.

Someday, those imperfect pictures may be your favorites.