Claus and Associates

Private home, group and charity appearances.
Media, corporate and sponsored events.
Advertising, Television, print media.

Appearances are tailored to each customer but generally consist of arrival, story reading, sing-a-longs and of course, getting those Christmas wishes from children on my "Nice" list. Feel free to mention any special desires to make your visit one to remember.

Many customized looks available: Standard Santa, Victorian/Old World Santa, Continental Santa, Workshop Santa, Western Santa, Casual Friday and Business Suit looks, Biker Santa, summertime look.

Other options - additional fees:
Assistant also available on a limited basis. Can read Christmas stories, make balloon art, etc.
Santa Photo Bench
Photo Backdrops
Photo lighting

Santa appearances on Florida's southwest gulf coast. Will gladly travel farther under the right opportunity and terms.

Private home, group and charity appearances.
Media, corporate and sponsored events.
Advertising, Television, print media.

Appearances are tailored to each customer but generally consist of arrival, story reading, sing-a-longs and of course, getting those Christmas wishes from children on my "Nice" list. Feel free to mention any special desires to make your visit one to remember.

Many customized looks available: Standard Santa, Victorian/Old World Santa, Continental Santa, Workshop Santa, Western Santa, Casual Friday and Business Suit looks, Biker Santa, summertime look.

References available
Last minute bookings accommodated when possible.

Santa Mike. Real beard, real belly, real Christmas spirit.
Book early!

Other options - additional fees:
Assistant also available on a limited basis. Can read Christmas stories, make balloon art, etc.
Santa Photo Bench
Photo Backdrops
Photo lighting

1. Have your camera/s ready. Be sure to have all the video cards, thumb drives, film, videotape and batteries necessary to take the photos you want, or need to get. Be sure all batteries are charged.

2. Reserve a special parking place for Santa. It should be as close as possible to where he is visiting. Santa is a senior citizen and needs to park directly in front or next to the house or party location. Santa cannot park down the street or in a parking garage & hike to your location, he will be winded or exhausted, when he gets there.

If at a home, a car could back down the driveway a little, leaving a space in front of the car. When Santa arrives the host could pull the car up and Santa parks behind it. Or, put a temporary barrier in the space reserved for Santa. Use a box, a chair or a sawhorse. Have some fun; put a sign out “Reserved for Santa!” If your event is at a company facility, office building or hotel, try to make arrangements for Santa to park in a valet or loading area.

This makes it easier for him to be fresh and ready to bring joy to your guests.

3. A host should meet Santa when he arrives: to assist him; to show him where to park; to help load any presents into his special “Santa” bag; and to escort him to the location of the event. If there is a balance or payment due to Santa, place it inside a Christmas card or envelope. *Never give Santa money in front of the Children.* It can ruin the magic of the moment. The host or coordinator meeting Santa outside should take care of any final payments that are due, before Santa enters.

4. Have your gifts ready. Santa normally does not bring any gifts with him. He will hand out candy canes, coloring pages and gifts and can carry in one bag of presents for children or guests, about 40 pounds. Presents should be well labeled. I suggest a large black marking pen and writing directly on the gift, as tags can easily fall off. Bows also have a tendency to come off in Santa’s bag. All packages should fit into one 35-gallon trash bag. He will transfer the gifts to his “official” Santa Bag.

If you have more than one bag, check with Santa and see if there is a way to have the gifts near his chair before he arrives or if there is a way for you to have “helpers” to bring the extra gifts in after he enters.

5. Get everyone together, before Santa enters. Timing is everything. You have scheduled Santa for a set amount of time, which begins the minute he arrives. Unless otherwise arranged, he will not be able to stay longer than he has been booked for. If everyone is scattered around the house or office, you lose valuable time. Santa and you can coordinate. He should call you when he is five minutes away from arriving. That’s your cue to get everyone together, maybe to sing some Christmas Carols, and to have someone go outside to meet Santa.

Then, at the right moment the host enters and gets all the children singing “Jingle Bells!” Santa will then pop-in and joins everyone in their singing. If you have a large group of children to see Santa, you should assign someone to be Santa’s helper, to hand him the presents.

6. Have a sturdy chair for Santa to sit in. Folding chairs and low chairs (the one’s you sink into) are not good. Santa usually likes a chair that is sturdy and stable. A good straight-back dining chair, with no arms, works well. He should be able to sit comfortably and the chair needs to support him plus a child on each knee. I have a Santa Seat available for a small additional fee.

7. Place the Chair near your Christmas tree or in a holiday setting. Your photos will have more impact when the background has a festive look. Place a wreath, a few Christmas cards or your children’s drawings on the wall to make a wonderful difference. Leave a foot or two between the chair and the tree or wall. This will allow room for others to gather around and behind Santa’s chair for group photos. Fireplaces do look nice but remember putting Santa too close to a real fire is not good for his comfort or health! A small fan blowing on the chair is very much appreciated.

8. Think about photos with everyone. Yes, some teenagers might think it is too childish, to have a photo with Santa. Don’t worry; Santa can stand up for a “buddy” photo. What about grandma and grandpa? Take a photo with Santa and Grandma Hugging. And Santa can take group photos with all the ladies or a “Team” photo with the guys. And yes! Santa loves “Selfies!” More photos of Santa show up on Facebook than almost any other celebrity.

9. Name tags on children are very helpful. If they are put on at the beginning of the event, they will likely forget they have them on by the time Santa arrives. They will be amazed that the Big Guy really knows their name.

10. Please, no smoking around Santa. Santa knows it is your event, but the smoke smell gets into Santa’s suit, hair and beard. He may not have time to change suits or wash up before his next visit. Cleaning of the Santa suit is very expensive. Expect Santa to charge an extra fee if anyone is smoking while he visits.