Photo with Santa?

[MamaBee]

So... this month is just flying by and I figure I better start checking to see where kiddo can see Santa... he is only 2.5, so it's mostly for me and my scrapping... I was blow away at the prices to see Santa and to get a photo... I know that they don't like parents taking photos, not even allowing photos of walking up to see Santa... but some reviews for the Santa's in my area (and I don't live is that big of a city)... where horrible... One mall charged over $25 and their santa was reported mean and the "elves" glared at the kids and the photo packages just started at $25... then the other mall was $15 and you a one-shot photo. So, we found a Breakfast with Santa at the bowling ally... LOL!! How Wisconsin is that??!!?? Any designers have a Christmas Bowling Theme kit??? *giggle*

What have been your experiences with meeting Santa? Are these prices this way everywhere? Am I out of touch in that this is cheap??

[loralyn]

My kids are older (13, 10, 7- only the 7 year old wanted to see Santa this year)....when they were younger I took them a couple of times to see Santa at WalMart (I live in northern MI, no malls!) and I can't remember how much it was. This year our bank offered a FREE pic with Santa the night of our town's Light Parade. Just a single shot, but they shipped it to my house, so I was happy! Plus I took pics of my own. Maybe keep looking for other venues...I remember one year we visited the big guy at our local lumber yard, not quite as fun as a bowling alley, but I took my own pics so it was free

I think those prices are high, and I'd hesitate to pay, mostly because I think Santa pics often don't turn out quite like you hoped!

[g8rbeckie]

We took the kids to see Santa at Bass Pro Shops right after Thanksgiving. It was SO NICE! They had this whole santa wonderland set up, lots of cute decorations, little activiteis for the kids and everything. And the picture iS FREE! And, of course, if you want to purchase lots of photo gifts, they'll let you do that, too.

Don't know if you have one of those in your area or not...

oh, and Santa was seriously realistic - real beard and everything. This was the Bass Pro Shops in Jackson, MS...

[Traci Reed]

I think we paid $15 for 2 5x7s and a $10 gift card to Shutterfly. Santa looked pretty good too!

[jessica31876]

that is about what you would pay at an Orlando area mall. So I dont know...I would think they would be less if the area you live in is not as large or populated as we are down here

[pewtertm]

I love Bass Pro Shops Winter Wonderland and Santa pics.

We are also lucky enough to have a VERY upscale, overpriced mall that most people don't go to..no department stores or anything...just high-end boutique shops. They always have a Santa, and they charge $5 for a 4x6, or for a $5 donation, you can bring your own camera and take as many shots as you want (this is what we do LOL). And their money all goes to charity, unlike the other big mall Santas around here. Another plus...hardly any lines! This year we went the Sunday after Thanksgiving at around 1pm, and waited maybe 2 minutes before it was our turn.

I want to go back when my battery isn't dying LOL.

[jaylensmom]

i'm a bad mommy because we haven't went yet...maybe after work today...where we go they usually let you take pictures also...i guess since you're buying them too they don't mind...

[Jennilyn]

We're lucky because Santa comes to my ILs annual Flying Club Christmas party every year so I get a photo of them with him. We've never had to pay to see Santa and he's even come to my ILs house party before too

[WalkersMommy]

At our mall here it is about $20 for a photo. I don't think we're even going to do it this year.

[MamaBee]

Thanks... I'm feeling better in my thinking... it's just crazy! I wouldn't mind paying that amount if even some of it went to charity!

Doh... we don't have a Bass Pro Shop in Wisconsin... that is odd, I grew up in Fremont, WI... only 20 min west of where I live now... and that was the White Bass Capital of the World!!!

Next year I'll have to start looking earlier... at least for the bowling ally santa, the three of us get breakfast, as many photos as I want of santa and kiddo, and a goodie bag for $14.95... $2 more and we could have also gotten a free game of bowling and show rentals... I think 2.5 is a bit young to understanding the fine art of bowling... hee, hee.

[rachaelsscraps]

Good luck!!!

I'm wanting to get photos done with my kids & Santa, luckily my dad has an antique Santa costume so he'll be Santa for them!

[lovely1m]

I have gone to our mall twice. Its beautiful, but $10 for 1 4x6. I went to Wal-Mart once for the freebie picture and the santa was awful. Not a kid person. This year we went to the mall that I wonder how its still in business (lol) and I paid $2 to the food pantry and the picture is cute and the santa was great.

[Kat Stokes]

We have a special Santa that comes to DH's work (the fire station) every year so I get to take TONS of pictures for FREE!!!

[mummytothree]

the last several years our small mall charged $7 bucks and let me then take as many pictures as I wanted. I do know that they were letting parents take photos even if they didn't buy one which I thought was nice but I felt worng doing that so we always bought one photo.

This year our Walmart was doing it for FREE!!! So instead of a group photo this year I got all the kids done individually for FREE!!!! I was so stoked!!!

[Tracyfish]

When I've been to the mall here in Florida it was about $15 for the smallest package.

This year we wen to a holiday event downtown and paid $3.00 for a pic that they took and put on cardstock, but I snuck in a pic with my own camera that was way better.

L.J.'s school had a Santa come too and it was $2.00 a pic, but he was definitely not very real looking. LOL!

[bellbird425]

Originally Posted by Traci Reed

I think we paid $15 for 2 5x7s and a $10 gift card to Shutterfly. Santa looked pretty good too!

that is one awsome santa and santa pic!!

today we went to a local shopping centre and i spent $17 for one 6x8, i only wanted a 5x7 cos the other ones i have of alyssa and santa are in 5x7 frames and the woman looked at me and said 'we dont do 5x7' like that was some weird size and i wasn't good enough to be there cos i didnt want the rudolph, blitzen or whatever packags with the dodgey plastic photokey keyring, cd, a bunch of 4x6's and 6x8 starting at $50....

anyway, alyssa really wanted to see & sit with santa, until we got there and she basically said ' dude, that's not right', looked at him then me and i had to try to explain why Santa was not the storybook, anglo-saxon looking, jolly man, but someone of obvious Indian heritage ... fair enough we live in a multicultural country but i guess we were both a bit surprised by Santa's appearance and accent, and so i didnt get her smiling for real in the shot... and i guess she was going to figure out that santa needed a whole lot of helpers to cover all the malls etc sooner or later anyway!

[4noisyboys]

I am such a bad mom. I think the only time my kids went and saw a Santa is when we took the "Santa Train" somewhere in Washington state. One of my boys screamed when he even saw him, so it just wasn't something we ever wanted to deal with!

I came across this pic of my brother and me though. I was 2 in it...and even though it needs a little work, it's just so precious to me. You don't see them like this anymore!

[Coila]

We go to Bass Pro Shop too! Andrew cried each year. I was not as happy the second year with the Santa though. He wore purple eyeliner and was kinda creepy. The first year was amazing though! We are going again this year with both boys. Hopefully Andrew won't cry...

Here is a picture of the first year we went: