COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
Menu
The reason we manage bookings the way we do is to minimise journey times within each block and maximise the visit durations. Each block of approximately 4 hours is finalised once fully booked or the night before. This allows us to provide the best possible estimate of when Santa will be with you. Once the route is planned, we will send a message with an approximate ETA for Santa’s arrival. However, journeys can be unpredictable, so this can only be a rough guide, and timings may change unavoidably en route. We will send a more precise, but still estimated, ETA when Santa is leaving the visit before yours. Last year, this system worked very well, and parents were very happy.
This year, we are offering a closer approximate time for an additional fee for those who need to ensure that everyone who should be present is available.
We ask families and groups to remain at home until after the visit, as timings can change and cancellations occur. If Santa arrives within the agreed block time and no one is home, the fee will still be charged.
You have the option to book an additional 30 minutes, giving Santa more time to bring extra games, dancing, and a range of delightful surprises to make the visit unforgettable. This also allows children to personalise the experience and truly make it their own. One child, for instance, asked Santa to join them for a game of pool, and because there was extra time, Santa was thrilled to say ‘YES!’—a game he fondly remembers. Other children have shared their artwork with Santa or enjoyed a cosy storytime with him in their room (with another adult present, of course). This is a truly luxurious experience with Santa.
Santa might even showcase his handstands and other fun tricks, bringing joy to both little ones and adults alike!
You need to plan to be home for the entire block of time to ensure you are there when Santa visits.
Either on the morning of the visit or the night before, we will send a rough ETA.
After Santa leaves the home before yours, we will send an updated ETA.
When Santa arrives, he will take his time to ensure the children feel happy and safe. He’ll chat with the little ones, and if a child feels overwhelmed, he’ll shift the focus to the adults or more confident children until the shy child feels comfortable. He’ll give gifts and then build up the fun with a range of skills and entertainment tricks up his big red sleeve. There will be games and dancing, and of course, you’ll have the opportunity to take photos and videos with Santa in front of your own tree, or as he puts presents under the tree, etc. Santa will personalise the visit based on the information you provide when booking. Mostly, you can sit back and enjoy the Christmas fun.
Please also read ‘What must we do for the visit?’
This might be my favourite question because it’s the most important one regarding why we created HoHoHomeVisitSanta. The reality is, there are many reasons why a home visit from a luxury Santa might be preferable to visiting a grotto, etc.
First is the quality of the Santa. We have worked in grottos and with grottos, and we have seen the sometimes awful felt suits and terrible fake beards, which always horrifies us—especially when we know how much families are sometimes paying for that. We want to make sure Santa NEVER disappoints.
Secondly, it can be much more convenient for both adults and children, not to mention so much more personal, when Santa comes to you and brings all that joy, fun, and laughter into your own home. As you can provide information when booking to help ensure Santa says all the right things when he arrives, this can really make a luxury visit so much more magical and exciting for everyone.
For example, you can provide information about something unique that happened at Christmas last year, which Santa can mention this year. A particular achievement you and your child are excited about. A question that your child asked about Santa. Anything at all.
Also, having worked in many grottos over the years, we have seen many children who are utterly overwhelmed, experiencing sensory overload, and can simply be quite agitated and exhausted by the time they get to Santa. It all gets hyped up, and sometimes, it can be a bit of an anti-climax, especially if Santa isn’t as full of the joy of Christmas as one might expect, or there simply isn’t that unique personal interaction with each child.
Having brought children to visit Santa ourselves, we know that by the time you’ve spent money on tickets, travel, food and drink, and merchandise (which can include quite hefty prices just for a single photo), it can mount up to hundreds of pounds. Despite this, it is often the parents who are working super hard to bring the excitement once the children are in front of Santa. We don’t think it should ever be that way, and we work hard to make sure it’s a magical experience from start to finish.
There are other companies that will arrange for Santa to visit you in your home in some areas, but generally, they require you to contact them for a quote to provide a visit, and often those visits are, we believe, unnecessarily costly—often hundreds of pounds. One provider of home visits states on their website that visits START at £995.
Others are just a man in a felt suit who comes and reads a story on the doorstep or something similar, leaving children feeling very uncertain about whether or not that was the real Santa, despite parents’ efforts to assure them it was.
Last year, we were told that older children who had stopped believing had started to believe again after our visit. Children who weren’t sure and pulled on Santa’s beard were delighted to see it was real. We were constantly told the children talked about nothing else for weeks afterwards, and some, long after Christmas had passed. This is the standard we are constantly aiming for and proud to achieve.
HoHoHomeVisitSanta makes booking easy, and prices are transparent.
Book well in advance.
Stay in for the entire agreed block of time (not just the rough ETA).
Santa has many visits to manage, and it’s important to keep his outfit clean and smart for everyone. Therefore, we kindly ask that homes are clean, and the areas Santa visits are kept pet-free and as free from pet hair as possible.
Please create a place where Santa can sit with the children that looks as festive as possible. It’s a nice touch to have Christmas carols playing softly in the background, but it’s also important that the environment isn’t too loud. Santa has many visits to do, and if the music is too loud or there are lots of voices, Santa may start to lose his voice. Creating a reasonably quiet but Christmassy atmosphere helps the visit go smoothly and creates treasured memories for all.
Please don’t offer Santa food or drink, as having to refuse can be a little awkward, and Santa may be driving. Santa has several visits each day, and if he had even a small bite of mince pie or a sip of milk at every stop, he’d soon be too big to get down even the most generously sized chimney!
Yes, and the best thing about HoHoHomeVisitSanta is that you can tailor your visit and provide Santa with any information that will help make the experience as inclusive, affirming, and encouraging as possible. Santa is always non-judgmental, does not conform to stereotypes, and does not give gifts according to gender.
Santa has extensive experience working with both adults and young people with additional needs. We understand that a visit from Santa can be overwhelming for anyone, especially for those who may experience sensory overload. Santa never judges in these situations and avoids using phrases like ‘the naughty list’ to manage behaviour. Instead, Santa focuses on making everyone feel loved and accepted, just as they are. He recognises that we all have different abilities and challenges, and that love and kindness are the most important tools to ensure everyone feels equally valued.
Absolutely NOT! HoHoHomeVisitSanta fully recognises that Christmas is for everyone, and groups of friends, couples, and individuals on their own are all equally entitled to enjoy the fun and laughter that a visit from Santa can bring. In fact, a visit from Santa can make an amazing gift for loved ones and can even be arranged as a wonderful surprise. Just let us know in the notes section if it’s a gift or a surprise, so we can manage it accordingly.
HoHoHomeVisit Santa
HoHoHomeVisit Santa provide luxury Santa visits to homes and other venues with an extra special touch of Christmas magic.