Disclaimer: This is a sponsored blog post; while the views expressed here were genuinely mine, consideration was paid to me by Santa HQ to review this product
The holiday season is in full swing! Which means it’s time for a month full of activities and events complete with a LONG list of to-do’s before December 25th!
One of those to-do’s is going to visit Santa! Something that is so special, yet I’m so bad about making time to actually GO to a mall to visit Santa. (Confession: One year we went on Dec 24th and we were the last family to see him!!) I know, we’re the king and queen of procrastination! Really we didn’t look forward to standing in line for an hour with young kids. Then seeing Santa for a whole minute before our turn was over. Hence the procrastination.
SANTA HQ
That was the OLD us.
Last year we discovered the Santa HQ at a local mall and our minds on visiting Santa were forever changed. It’s no longer a holiday ‘to-do’…it’s a holiday tradition we get to do and something we really look forward to!
What’s Different about the Santa HQ?
First off you can make a reservation to see Santa! No more standing in line for an hour….you can make a VIP reservation! Guests can now select the date and time of their photos session by making a reservation online at https://santa-hq.com
HGTV’s Santa HQ adds a whole new dimension to the traditional family Santa Claus visit by guiding visitors through an immersive, interactive holiday extravaganza that uses state-of-the-art digital technology. Complete with 15 different locations at Macerich Shopping Centers in California, Arizona, Chicago, Metro New York, and the Washington, D.C. corridor, each Santa HQ location is set provide entertainment throughout the entire visit experience.
Highlights include:
- Elf Academy – a new, family-friendly experience that features interactive technology to enhance the entire HGTV Santa HQ visit. New additions to the Elf Academy include:
- The Magic Mirror: Guests can transform into one of Santa’s elves and virtually try on various elf outfits
- Elf-ID: Guests can create their very own customized Elf-ID card using the new Elf-ID app and a “selfie”
- Elfie Selfie: Visitors take a selfie and star in their own holiday video
- Elf-Ray Vision: Guests can explore Santa’s Observatory through the use of special goggles that trigger a series of augmented reality experiences at multiple locations throughout Santa HQ including two triggers at Entrance Arch; one trigger on exterior of the Workshop; Toy triggers underneath the Christmas Tree in the Workshop, and enhanced triggers in the observatory
- Naughty or Nice Meters: Where visitors can stand next to an interactive board to find out which Santa list they made!
- Light Show: With more than 10,000 individual holiday lights synchronized to the tune of “Carol of the Bells” to create an illuminated orchestra.
- A traditional photo-opportunity with Santa Claus
- Visitors to Santa HQ will be able to enjoy the holiday spirit of giving through HGTV’s Help Through Holiday Giving Drive. The program encourages visitors to donate new, unwrapped toys for local children in need with the goal of collecting over 1,000 toys per center. In 2017, HGTV’s Help Through Holiday Giving program collected over 66,000 toys benefiting local organizations like Forgotten Angel Tree, Salvation Army Angel Tree, Toys for Tots, and Spark of Love Stuff a Bus.
To make reservations for your next Santa HQ visit, start here and enjoy! Happy Holidays to all!!