Special Needs Santa Photos
I woke up from my Thanksgiving coma with visions of Santa photos dancing in my head. Is it just me, or is it hard to find a Santa that’s comfortable with a special needs child? Add the lines, chaos and noise of the mall, and it becomes an extra challenge for my kiddo. After all the blood, sweat and tears I spend trying to make Santa photos happen, we usually end up with something that begs the question, “was all of that really worth it?”
The classic “deer in the headlights” Santa.
Simon mall to the rescue with Caring Santa, Santa photo events designed specifically for children with special needs. Event times are outside of mall hours so you’ll find easy parking and a quiet, low key atmosphere. When you register, 15 minutes is reserved just for your family. No stressful waiting in lines, the process can move at your child’s pace. Your child can have the time and privacy that they need to tell Santa what’s on their wish list.
Caring Santa events have had such a positive impact, that they have expanded from 7 Simon malls in 2011 to over 100 Simon malls today, including 2 in the Puget Sound area (Tacoma and Northgate). Click here to find a Caring Santa near you. I just booked our time for next weekend – I’ll share our photo and experience after the event. I’m so excited!
I was compensated for this post. SImon reached out to me about this event just in the Nick of time (see what I did there?) and I was excited to say yes, as clearly good Santa photos have eluded us for years.
