Visiting Santa: A Parent's Guide to the Mall Experience

Children all over the world look forward, with anticipation, to the arrival of Ole' St Nick on Christmas Day.   For some, however, a glimpse at Santa Claus may come with a quick trip to a local shopping center or Mall.   As a holiday tradition, many parents will search out, and find, what they believe to be the perfect Santa display eagerly seeking to obtain the annual photograph of your child "secretly" revealing all his wants and desires to the big man in a red suit.  Unfortunately, for many parents, the decision to use a Santa program, a local Mall or shopping center, is often not researched thoroughly thereby potentially leaving the experience of Santa Claus with fate.  Simply finding a beautiful display and a "true to life" appearing Santa personality may not be the only concern a parent should focus upon.   The following is a general overview of guidelines a parent may follow in searching out the perfect Santa experience for your child.

As a general rule, when establishing a Santa display for children in the local mall or shopping center, the management of the facility will contract with a reputable company to provide not only the Santa Claus personality, but also, the supporting Santa staff.  Such supporting staff may include a variety of individuals, both professional and non-professional, in different age groups providing a variety of services.  With a variety of contractors available, the mall should require specific requirements before contracting with "Santa".   Such requirements might include a background screening of the Santa staff to ensure, to some degree, the safety of the child when interacting with Santa Claus and the supporting Santa staff.    Before choosing a particular Santa display, inquire of the management group as to what background verification was completed prior to retaining the Santa contractor's services.