Santa Visit Booking Guide- This is one of those things about Santa Claus that you do not really understand until you try to book one for your holiday party three weeks before Christmas: Santa is very popular, very hard to find, and very much booked out on the dates that really count, if you do not act soon enough.
A proper visit by Santa himself – a costumed, trained Santa performer who will interact with each and every child at your party with true character and enthusiasm – is one of the very best holiday entertainment activities there is available to NJ families, schools, and community groups. As soon as Santa steps foot into a children’s Christmas party, there is an instant, overwhelming, truly magical reaction. Kids who had been struggling to contain themselves all day long go crazy in the best possible way. The parents all grab their cameras. This is the photo that everyone wants to get.
But the magical moment is only there if Santa is available on that particular date. And Santa’s schedule of engagements during December, especially the weekends in the two and three weeks before Christmas – is filled up faster than almost any other entertainment category in the NJ party business.
This guide, provided by Parties for Peanuts, gives you everything you need to know about booking a Santa visit to NJ: when to book, how fast the dates fill up, what to expect from the visit itself, how different kinds of events require booking at different levels of urgency, and how to combine a Santa visit with other holiday entertainment.
If you are reading this now and are worried that it is already too late to book your desired date – give us a call (973) 478-8999 right away and ask. Then keep reading.

How Early Should You Book a Santa Visit?- An Ultimate Santa Visit Booking Guide

Weekend dates in December – particularly those two weekends leading up to Christmas – should be reserved as soon as possible, preferably 8-12 weeks out (September/October if the event is in December). Corporate and school events, booked on a weekday, can be arranged 4-8 weeks out but the sooner the better. Any December Saturday or Sunday from the 12th to the 24th should be treated as your biggest booking challenge for the year. Call Parties for Peanuts at (973) 478-8999 as soon as you have your date set.

Why Santa Visits Fill Up So Fast: Understanding the December Booking Crunch

However, the need for Santa performances in NJ has its own schedule, which is extremely limited. It starts two or three weeks prior to Christmas, which results in the rush and confusion caused by this situation among families and event organizers.
The December Weekends Problem
Let us do the math. There are four weekends between December 1 and December 24. Two of them are most requested – the weekends between December 14 and 22 (in a typical year) represent four dates when Santa performances are most demanded and booked throughout the year.
Now let us consider that everyone organizing any holiday event (birthday party, employee party at the workplace or some school holiday celebration, for example), wants to have Santa visit during one of these four dates.
The number of professional Santa performers available in NJ is rather limited. However, the number of families, schools and other institutions wanting to book them during the same four dates is not limited at all. Hence, the simple math produces the following result: dates are booked, and they get booked long before December comes.

When Most People Start Thinking About Booking Santa Performances and When They Should

One of the most common and typical situations in the NJ holiday party entertainment market is the time gap between the moment when most people start thinking about the holiday party and the moment when they actually should have organized the entertainment already.
Most people start considering the idea of organizing their holiday party during December in November. Some people contact entertainment agencies late in November or in December, while the most preferable dates are long booked – not due to the poor work of the entertainment agency, but due to the fact that families that booked these dates back in September and October.
Those families that managed to organize Santa visit for the Saturday before Christmas did not get lucky – they contacted the agency in October.

The Santa Visit Booking Timeline: Month by Month

• September: The Best Time for December Parties
  September is the time when the most experienced and most professional organizers finalize their entertainment options for December parties. If you already have the date, the place, and the number of people who will participate, then September is the best month for you to give us a call at (973) 478-8999 and to finalize your Santa visit.
  If you decide to call us in September, you will have the entire December calendar available to you. You can choose any date from the calendar as there will be many of them left; and you will have an opportunity to choose the Santa visit time that will work for you. You will also have many entertaining options to choose along with the Santa visit option.
  Those who decide to call us in September will also benefit from the fact that it is September when the selection among several entertainers becomes easy, because all of them can be confirmed for the same date; otherwise, some of them will not be available.
• October: It is still okay to Call
  October is another good time for December parties’ booking. Although some good weekend dates begin to be taken already, the calendar is still far from being full.
  Families and organizations who book their December events in October usually have no problem with the selection of the dates as the calendar has many free spots.
  October is the time when many schools and corporate event planners start booking their events in December. If your event is going to be a corporate or school party and not a private one, then October is the time when other organizations are making their plans, and you need to do the same if you don’t want to miss something important.
• November: It is the Urgent Time Now
  November is the month when booking for the December events becomes urgent. During the second and third weeks of November, there is the biggest activity in booking holidays’ entertainment, when people who didn’t think about it until late October are calling, and organizational event planners who delayed their decisions during September and October are booking their parties with urgency.
  In early November, there are many available good weekend dates but the competition is high. In mid-November, the best dates become unavailable. And in late November, two weekends just before Christmas are booked and the rest available dates are the worst days – weekdays, or early December weekends which are too early for families.
  If you are reading this in November, and haven’t booked yet – call us at (973) 478-8999 today. Not tomorrow, not next Monday, but now!
• December: The Reality Check

By the time December comes around, the reality of Santa bookings is quite different from what it was back in September. The most desirable dates are long since taken. That leaves dates like weekday ones (which can be done in school and corporate parties but not in private weekend parties), early December weekend dates, and the slots left by any cancellations.

That doesn’t mean December calls will be fruitless. It just means the nature of the call will be different. It changes from ‘What’s the most convenient date for you?’ to ‘Here are the dates we still have open, do any of those work for you?’ Flexibility in December gets the job done. Inflexibility on an unavailable date won’t.
Call if you need to make your booking in December. Share your situation, remain flexible, and let Parties for Peanuts figure out the best possible date for your event. Getting Santa there is the priority. And if you’re willing to remain flexible, there’ll always be an option open somewhere.

Booking Timelines by Event Type

What to Expect From a Parties for Peanuts Santa Visit

Booking the visit by Santa is the initial step. However, understanding what the visit includes, and how to plan for it in order to create the most magical possible experience for your kids is of equal importance.

• The Arrival: The Moment When Everything Changes
  The visit by Santa from Parties for Peanuts starts with the arrival, and the arrival is the most important part of the visit. Unlike regular visit when Santa simply appears in the room, where children are doing something else, Santa arrives, and the moment of his arrival is the one that will stay in the memory of all the kids who attend the party and will tell everyone around about it in the following weeks.
  In order to enhance the impression of the arrival, gather all the guests before Santa comes through the door. Those kids, who are scattered in the venue, or in another room, or busy with other activities, miss the experience of watching Santa arriving and being met by the whole room with children who are eager to see Santa.
  Ask someone to take photos of the arrival – the arrival expression is the moment that has to be captured as the photograph, and once missed, it cannot be recovered.
• Individual Child Engagement
  Personal interaction with each of the kids at the party is the heart of the professional visit by Santa. He will ask their names, ask about their wishes, what they do to be good and will show personal attention to each kid that makes the visit really magical.
  To make the visit by Santa even more personal and interesting for children, provide his with the information like the name of the birthday child (when it is a holiday party), the names of all the children who will be at the party, information whether it is the first visit by Santa for the child and what he/she is looking for, and what the kid is afraid of when visiting Santa.
• Group Activities
  Besides the personal interaction with Santa, the visit will include singing of the holiday songs, reading holiday stories, some call-and-response activities and creating festive atmosphere that even the adults who tried to watch the process from the background cannot resist.
  Children who know the lyrics of the holiday songs will join in and sing with Santa. Those, who know the stories he tells, will be eager to add something to the story. There are always some questions and the Santa knows how to give in-character answer to the serious questions of a four year old kid.
• Photos with Every Child
  The final photo of the visit is the one that will become a family keepsake – the photo when the child is sitting on Santa’s knee or standing besides him, smiling widely. Make sure to schedule the time to take these photos at the end of the visit.
  For those parents, who would like a specific background and lighting conditions for the photos, it is better to organize these things before Santa visit. Simple decorated background in the area not far away from the main party place will create the most uniform photos.

How Long Should a Santa Visit Last?

A typical Santa visit by Parties for Peanuts usually lasts 30 to 45 minutes, which is sufficient to accommodate both the entire process of Santa arriving, interacting with each kid individually, doing activities with them in groups, and ending with photos.
However, for longer guest lists, extra time might be required in order to make sure that every kid will get personal attention from Santa Claus. In case you book this service for school parties or corporate parties, when there will be 30 kids or even more on the guest list, please let us know about the number of guests.
There is one thing worth noting about scheduling Santa’s visit. It must be an independent event in the party agenda, as Santa visit has its own rhythm and kids must concentrate fully on Santa while visiting him, rather than splitting their attention between him and some other entertainment at the same time.

Preparing Children for a Santa Visit

The vast majority of children are thrilled at the prospect of meeting Santa and express all the excitement which comes along with it. There are a small percentage of children – especially very young (1 to 3 year old) children – who might find the experience intimidating at first, especially when it comes to meeting Santa Claus face to face.
Several things help make the experience easier for everyone involved:
Have a talk with young children (2 to 4 year old children) ahead of time about meeting Santa, without raising expectations about the whole experience too high, but giving them an idea of the fact that a man just like Santa from their stories will visit them soon.
If your children fear strangers, you should let them know what to expect from the encounter. It is far more likely that the child who is prepared for meeting Santa will approach him confidently than the child who does not know what to expect from the encounter.
Do not insist on a picture with Santa if your child does not want to be photographed at the moment. A photo of your protesting child on Santa’s knee is the last thing you would want. If your child is apprehensive, give him some time to get used to the idea that other children are enjoying themselves.
Make sure a parent or an adult known to the child is near enough when the very young child approaches Santa. The fact that there is always an adult nearby makes some toddlers feel more confident in approaching such an unfamiliar and big person as Santa.

Frequently Asked Questions: Santa Visit Booking

When should I reserve a Santa visit in NJ?

For December weekends — specifically, the weekends before Christmas — reserve 8 to 12 weeks in advance, preferably in September or October. Weekday reservations require 4 to 8 weeks of advance notice. Earlier reservation means better date availability options.

Which dates will fill up first for Santa visits?

The dates for which Santa visits fill up first are the December Saturdays and Sundays in the two weeks before Christmas, namely December 13-14 and 20-21 of a specific year. Those four days of the year are the busiest for Santa visit booking and usually booked weeks in advance before December.

How long will the Santa visit from Parties for Peanuts last?

A regular Santa visit takes 30 to 45 minutes including all the parts of the visit such as the arrival, interaction with Santa, group activities and picture taking. If you have many people attending, more time might be needed — discuss guest count while making the reservation.

What should I do to prepare for a Santa visit?

Assemble all guests before Santa comes; have a photographer ready at the door; give us kids’ names and any information about them in advance; make Santa visit a separate part of your party schedule.

What if my ideal date in December is already booked?

Call (973) 478-8999 and talk to the Parties for Peanuts representatives about alternative options like adjacent dates, time slots, earlier dates in December, or placing on a cancellation list of the ideal date.

Can very young children attend a Santa visit?

Yes, if prepared well enough. Children from 1 to 3 years should approach Santa freely with an adult around. Don’t force them to take a picture or interact with Santa — let children warm up to him gradually during the visit.