How to Visit Santa Practically This Year
While the pandemic has aimed to affect as many aspects of our lives as possible, we are also pretty good at finding virtual workarounds for all the things we miss, including now visiting with Santa Claus.
The last thing we want is for Santa or his helpers to travel the world with the goal of allowing millions of children to sit in his lap and have close personal conversations. This doesn’t sound like the CDC would approve. But this year there are many opportunities to take part in the annual online chat. Here are a few to get you started.
Portable North Pole
I start with this because this is the site that I first used a few years ago, and since then, the possibilities have gotten better and expanded every year. The North Pole Portable makes personalized videos and phone calls in which Santa addresses your child directly by name and mentions a few details you provide about their life.
There is a basic free video message option, or you can upgrade to longer, more detailed videos. For $ 5.99, you get one premium video ( there are various options and themes ) that will include additional personalization. Premium phone calls cost $ 4.99 each. Or you can go out of your way and spend $ 14.99 on a “magic pass” that gives unlimited access to all video and calling features for any number of kids.
Virtual meeting with Black Santa Houston
I found out about the event, which will take place on Saturday, December 12 at 11:00 ET, through the Find Black Santa app, available for iOS and Android . The cost is $ 20 per family for an hour-long event during which Santa answers some of the kids’ most pressing questions.
This is not a personal visit with Santa Claus. You will spend time with Santa Claus and other families who registered for the event! He will see you if you have a camera turned on. However, to keep up with the event time, the microphones will be muted for most of the event. At the end, we’ll be sure to turn on your microphones to quickly say goodbye to Santa Claus before sending him to the North Pole!
Santa: Experience
This option is more expensive, but children get the opportunity to speak personally with the man himself. The ” experience ” is described as a “journey to the North Pole under the guidance of elves” which lasts approximately 10-12 minutes, including a five-minute conversation with Santa.
Appointments start at $ 34.95 and go up to $ 79.95, depending on the time and date you choose (Christmas Eve night will cost you the most). Click on the calendar under “Book Now” to see what’s available.
Here’s the trailer for the experience:
Santa’s Club
Santa’s Club also offers several options. Spend $ 34.99 on a personalized video message, $ 49.99 on a video chat with Santa Claus, or $ 69.99 on all extras, including a mailed invitation from the North Pole and a magic bracelet. Live broadcasts also have the option to sign up for a conversation with Black Santa Claus.
Watch the trailer here:
Free live T-Mobile video chats
T-Mobile offers a limited number of free video chats with Santa Claus, after which they will also send you a copy of the video to save. You don’t have to be a T-Mobile customer, but the slots are on a first come, first served basis. Every day from Dec 10 to Dec 23, time slots will open throughout the day starting at 9:00 AM PT. You can make an appointment here and you will have the opportunity to ask for the specific Santa that suits your family the best.
Or just write to him
It’s been a year of virtual everything, so if you’re all shrunken but still want to connect with the big guy, you can text him. Zipwhip (a text messaging service for businesses) is helping families connect directly to the North Pole this year. Just send your message to (844) YO-SANTA (844-967-2682) and you will get a quick response. The answers may be a little scattered; here is a short conversation I had with him:
But it’s probably because this person has lost so much weight this time of year that we’re going to loosen them up a bit.