Do you still take your kids to see Santa at the malls? After a failed attempt a couple years ago -- we stood in line with a 1 and 2 1/2 yr. old for an hour to see Santa, only to get to the front of the line with a child with a messy diaper and both girls freaking out and crying as we struggled to put them on Santa's lap, even for a second. We ended up paying $40 for a photo package of two girls crying as they are slipping off of Santa's lap. While these photos will be fun to share with the girls when they get older, just thinking back to that whole ordeal, I am glad that we have decided to wait until they are older to do the whole mall Santa thing.
Even though we don't visit the mall to see Santa doesn't mean the girls still don't get to talk and meet Santa each year. Usually I will look online for sites that offer video recorded messages from Santa, as well as personalized letters sent to the girls in the mail. We also make a point to take a Polar Express train ride where the girls get to dress in their holiday pajamas, sip hot cocoa while nibbling on cookies Mrs. Claus baked, as they wait to see the man in red walk into the train caboose.
Last month, I was sent an email about a fun video conference that your children (up to 4 kids) can have with Santa who is busy getting ready at the North Pole. For only $25 your kids (up to 6 children), and even relatives from all over (up to 4 locations), can video conference in with Santa and talk for 8-10 minutes. Prior to the chat, parents go online to reserve a phone call time, answer questions about each child to make the call more personal, and select the video conference package that they want. Then, you just sit by the computer with your kids and wait for Santa to video conference in.
This is a unique idea and a great way to gets kids of all ages excited about the holidays. My girls are now at the age that they are getting excited about Santa and believe in the magic of the holidays. They had their wish lists done right before Halloween, and then followed up with a video conference call with Santa from TalktoSanta.com in early November.
While I did run into some technical difficulties getting Santa on the line - it was a problem with my computer's browser not allowing pop-ups and blocking the chat. But, after talking with the tech support elves at the North Pole and having them remotely log into my computer, we were ready to go. I was so impressed with how the folks at TalktoSanta.com went above and beyond to get the video conference working, as they knew my girls were excited to talk to Santa. And, you know what, Santa even stayed on the line a few extra minutes, listening to the girls sing him a Christmas song, and wish him and the reindeer (and Mrs. Claus) a wonderful night.
My girls are still young and believe in Santa. So, you can imagine their excitement when I first told them that we would be talking to Santa through a video chat, similar to a Skype video call that we have with Nana and Papa. I circled the date on the calendar and the girls had a countdown, crossing off the days until the big call. When the day to talk to Santa came, they were especially good and well behaved...I wonder why? I had scheduled the call for after dinner, so that the girls could be in their pajamas, talk to Santa and then go to bed only to dream about what presents would be left under the tree for him.
As soon as Santa appeared on our computer screen and said "Hello" to the girls, they couldn't stop squealing with excitement. I had to quiet them down a few times, just so we could hear Santa talk to them. Santa shared personal information, which I had provided with my responses to the standard questions, including teachers' names at school, best friend, top toy on their list, and what behavior they had to work on to stay on the "nice" list.
All in all the call went well, and the girls couldn't wait to talk to Santa again. He reminded them to behave and listen to mommy and daddy, and asked them to leave milk and chocolate chip cookies out on Christmas Eve, as well as carrots for the reindeers. The girls promised they could, and then said their goodbyes.
Once we hung up the phone, the girls ran around the house in excitement. They couldn't believe that they had just talked to Santa and that he knew all those things about them. Savannah even went into school the next day and shared her experience with her class. She was so happy to be on Santa's "nice" list. But, most importantly, she was happy to have had the opportunity to talk to Santa before he got really busy at the North Pole.
Well, you know that Santa is a busy man. But, he is still making time to talk with your children/grandchildren this holiday season. If you are not a fan of the long lines at the mall, or want to try something different this holiday season, why not set up a video conference call with Santa at TalktoSanta.com. You can also purchase the video conference call to download and save, and watch over and over again. My girls love watching their video call with Santa, and couldn't wait to share it with my parents, who also thought this was a neat idea. What will they think of next?! :-)
To learn more about setting up a video conference call with Santa or even ordering a personalized video from Santa himself, visit www.TalktoSanta.com. Act fast as dates/times slots are filling up fast. You don't want to miss not getting to chat live with Santa through a video conference call this holiday season.
TalktoSanta.com is a proud sponsor of...
So, what are you waiting for? Head on over to TalktoSanta.com and schedule a live video conference call with Santa himself and up to 4 locations or 6 children at one location for 8-10 minutes.
Disclosure: I was provided a complimentary video conference call with Santa as part of the US Family Guide Bloggers program. All views shared are mine and mine alone.
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