Disclosure: This post was sponsored by SantaHQ and HGTV. All opinions and experiences are my own.
Nothing starts off the holiday season like a trip to the mall to see Santa himself! From the day after Thanksgiving right up to Christmas Eve, Santa can be found in many places. Finding the RIGHT Santa is not an easy mission, but I think we may have found where he’s been hiding out! Yesterday we took a trip to Queens Center Mall with my little guy. He’s been asking to see Santa since our visit to the North Pole via the magical train ride a few weeks ago. I knew a special trip where he can have his own one-on-one time without his older sisters stealing the limelight would brighten his day – or would it?
The setup was nothing short of magical. We entered the winter wonderland area where my son was able to step on the Naughty or Nice meter. His name showed up and while he’s too young to read it, I know my older girls would have been super excited to see the interactive display with their names on the nice list! We moved on to a photo-opp area where he was able to have his picture taken with a fun winter background. As we moved on there was a fun sitting area where kids can take a break while waiting for their turn to see Santa. In the waiting area you can take some sELFies and create a fun video of the family dancing in Elf outfits. He got a kick out of watching our faces dance in funny costumes on the tablet!
It was finally our turn to see Santa. I stood back as I watched that magical moment of my son interacting with the big guy himself, but that never happened. I guess the excitement was too much, or maybe he needed his sisters to help him feel comfortable, but a picture with Santa was not happening. I sat with him as Santa tried his best to make him feel comfortable and gave him a fun coloring book to celebrate his first solo visit to Santa, but it wasn’t happening. Santa was a good sport, reminding him to always be on his best behavior and listen to mommy and daddy, but my little man was done at that point.
The staff never made us feel rushed, even though I started to feel flustered at one point, and Santa did his best make us feel comfortable. After such a positive experience at SantaHQ, I’m looking forward to coming back with the entire family to get all three kids in a picture together with Santa.
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