Intrinsic Arts
- Kankakee, IL
- Fire Performer
- 44 Verified Bookings
Amanda M. said “Very happy with the Santa provided. Will definitely use again.”
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Santa-Don is a highly recommended professional Santa Claus, who is available for photography, video/ads, corporate events, fundraisers, parades, tree lighting & personal home visits. Covering St Louis & Metro East. I have a REAL white beard & multiple Santa suits to fit your event. I have many years of experience w/ children & I know how to help a reluctant child feel comfortable with getting a picture & generating a wonderful Christmas memory. I love bringing the spirit of Christmas and Santa to your event. See the pictures of the children visiting w/ Santa-Don & you will see the magic of Santa delighting them.
Blessings & Merry Christmas,
Santa-Don
Insured, References, Background Check
My Grandchildren were so excited and happy with their meeting with Santa Don. The whole experience was magical. Santa Don was able to relate to all of their ages, from 7 weeks to 7 years old. Through his gentle and kind demeanor, he was able to put all the children at ease; and made a memorable experience for each of them.
Santa Don, magically entered the room ringing bells and wore the most magnificent Santa attire. His realistic appearance was also a plus!
I would highly recommend Santa Don to anyone wanting to add this special experience for their holiday.
We have been so lucky to have Santa Don as the star of the show during our Cookies with Santa events for the past two years. Not only does he look authentic, his warm and gentle nature is pure magic! The children and adults love him. He allows the children to come to him at their own readiness and greets each one warmly & with kindness. He never forces the interaction and will be silly to engage their interest. He is also open to participating in reading to the children and teaching them to do the Reindeer Pokey or holding a sleeping baby for that perfect photo op. I highly recommend Santa Don!!!
He engages so well with the little ones, quite magical and delightful;) Santa Don appeared at a “Cookies with Santa” event where there wee little infants up to children age 5. He gently encourages the rather apprehensive kiddos and relates at their comfort level. We will definitely invite Santa Don to come back!! Merry Christmas!
Price Range: $125+ (offer discounts too)
Gig Length: 30 - 240 minutes
Languages: English
WHAT TO EXPECT:
- My goal is to give young children (& adults) the best Santa experience possible and represent the spirit of Santa Claus and Christmas.
- I am a Christian and can include the "True meaning of Christmas" as part of the visit (only if requested).
- I can informally visit with kids or sit with them to hear their Christmas Wishes, sit for “photos with Santa”, read a short Christmas story, pass out presents, teach the special Santa high-five (or knuckle bump), and dance the Reindeer Hokey-Pokey.
- It is helpful for me to get a list of the children's names, in advance. It is also helpful to discuss the pronouncation of the names, to make sure Santa gets it right.
- If Santa is going to pass out presents, especially if specific presents go to specific children, please provide someone that can help Santa pass out the presents and read the child’s name on the present.
- I’m open to other suggestions we can discuss in advance. But, in general, I can’t dance or sing (I wish I could).
GENERAL SETUP (recommendations):
- Please provide a bench or chair to sit on (aka Santa’s Throne). This “throne” needs to be firm and around 18” high. Soft and low does not work well for photos or long visits (or my hips). A 2nd bench, stool, or chair is needed since some children feel more comfortable sitting next to Santa. One on either side is even better, especially for photos of many kids, family photos or if a parent has to hold the child.
- The suit is very, very, very warm. Please set thermostat around 68deg (lower the better). A fan and cold bottles of water would be great too for >30min stays. No sitting close to a fireplace.
- upon request, I may be able to arrange a Mrs Claus or Grinch for my visits too.
PHOTOS or PHOTO SHOOTS:
- At this time, for home visits, I do not provide photo support other than a wonderful Santa Claus. The client can use their cell phone or SLR camera. I will also do my best to have great Santa reactions and poses to make your photos even better. This includes the lighted “Nice List” book, etc.
- For photography sessions, corporate events and other larger events, I can provide multiple Christmas backdrops, special props, Santa “throne” and Santa indoor sleigh. Of course, I also provide a great Santa Claus for the photo’s. I will also do my best to have great Santa reactions and poses to make your photos even better.
- For parades, outdoor events and indoor events (with large entry door), I can provide a full-size horse sleigh (sorry, horse not include)
- I do NOT recommend primarily red backdrops or Santa throne area since my Santa suit is primarily red. This way the Santa suit stands out better in the picture (plus the reds could clash). We can work this out in advance.
- Decorations (if any), sitting area and photo backdrop must be young children and Santa appropriate and in good taste.
- Even if you want the parents to take their own pictures with their cell phone, I recommend you have someone there to help take pictures with the parents phone, in case the parent has to help with an upset or shy child or also needs to be in the picture. In some cases, the parent wants a family picture.
- If a child gets upset when placed on Santa’s lap, Santa will not force the child to stay. But have the camera ready, since those pictures can be great too
- Do not force any upset child to sit on Santa’s lap or next to Santa. There is time to help the child feel more comfortable with sitting with Santa. I’ve worked some amazing magic in the past and had many upset kids turn around and want to sit with Santa. The parent can always hold the child and be in the picture. Family photos are great too.
- Sorry, but for photos, Santa must maintain proper Santa composure and keep the innocence of the Santa Claus portrayal.
- I would like at least a few pictures from the photo session or event. Please make sure the professional photographer and parents sign an agreement for me to use the pictures.
SANTA ENTRANCE FOR VISIT or EVENT
- Unless otherwise worked out in advance, Santa will enter through the front door at the scheduled time.
- I love surprises and can work out other approaches with you. If I feel it is a complicated request or complicated to access the visit, you may need to provide a male adult to help me with that and make sure I do it right.
BREAKS and PRIVATE SANTA AREA
- At a minimum, Santa MAY need a 5-10 min break every hour. I will keep it short.
- If greater than a 1 hour visit, Santa may need access to a bathroom that kids will not access.
- A 1 hour break is also required for lunch or dinner far events longer than 4 hours.
- If the area is hot and causing Santa to be hot (temperature-wise), Santa may have to take a 5min break every 15min to cool off. You don’t want a fainting Santa at your event. A fan can help too.
- Similarly, if Santa is outside and it is very cold, a place to warm up would help. It depends on visit length and other factors. A heater will help too, but we need to be careful. You don’t want a Santa suit to melt or go up in flames at your event, either.
- In general for long events greater than 4hours, please provide a private room/space for the break and between multiple sessions per day.
RULES and PROCEDURE:
- We definitely need to talk well before your event to make sure we are on the same page and level set the expectations. Please fill out the visit sheet.
- Santa’s schedule is very tight and I will have to leave on time as scheduled (thank you). If my schedule allows, I'm willing to stay longer at the last minute. My 30min rate will apply at that point.
- Special instructions, additions and requests need to be made and worked out in advance. I may have to decline changes or spontaneous ideas on the day of appointment.
- Please refer to me at all times as “Santa” once I arrive.
- Please do not refer to any child as naughty or bad.
- A minimum of 2 other adults must be with Santa at all times. No exception.
- If a child gets upset when placed on Santa’s lap, Santa will not force the child to stay. But have the camera ready, since those pictures can be great too
- Do not force any upset child to sit on Santa’s lap or next to Santa. There is time to help the child feel comfortable with sitting with Santa. The parent can always hold the child and be in the picture. Family photos are great.
- Decorations (if any), sitting area and photo backdrop must be young children and Santa appropriate and in good Christmas taste.
VISIT FEE and RATE:
- Basic visit fee covers 30min, <30min away from O’Fallon Illinois, and for a non-prime day/time (M-Thu & <6pm Fri)
- There is an additional hourly rate, which is prorated for partial hours (15min increments).
- The basic fee and hourly rate start at $125 and go up from there for Prime days/times; Friday nights, weekends, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, longer distance RT drive, special requests, professional photo shoots, commercials, TV, movies, etc.
- The deposit is normally 25%, but goes to 100% for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
- Please pay deposit and balance via Venmo, CashApp, cash, etc. The deposit is non-refundable.
- Pay balance in advance or cash at time of arrival (inside a card to Santa, but best if not in front of children).
- I do offer discounts for military, police/fire/EMT, churches, other not-for-profits, hospital visits and repeat customers. I also offer partial scholarships for other circumstances. Please reply with details of event.
Thanks.
Blessings and Merry Christmas,
Santa Don
So how did all this Santa stuff start? Well, just for the fun of it, I started to let my beard grow long after my 2020 retirement. Then friends started to say that I would make a good Santa Claus. But, sometimes I was not sure if that was a compliment or maybe they thought I should exercise more? Anyway, being a Santa Claus professional was not my retirement plan. BUT last year, a good friend needed help when the Santa she booked had to cancel for her special “Cookies with Santa” event at The Blossom Play Cafe in O’Fallon IL. She already had the Santa suit and everything. How could I say “no”. To my surprise, it was amazing and I learned I really enjoyed bringing the spirit and magic of Santa Claus to children. I thought, maybe this would be a great thing to do more often. So, I’m did “Cookies with Santa” again for our friend in 2023 (6 sessions this time) and volunteered for a couple of good friends. I also worked as a special Santa at the St Louis Union Station Polar Express and did multiple home visits, including on Christmas Eve and Christmas. Who knows where it goes from here, but I’m going to try and do my best. Please look at the pictures I’ve attached and you will see the true Christmas and Santa “Believe” spirit I bring to these events.
I know what you’re thinking; you don’t just throw on a Santa suit and be a great Santa. Believe me I know that from meeting many “not so good” Santa impersonators as my children grew up. The plan is to start out slow, always continue to learn how to be a better Santa Claus, and focus on the quality of the experience. I’ve already joined a number of “Santa” Facebook groups and found other sources to learn from other Santa professionals. My desire is to learn how to better represent the real spirit of Santa Claus for all BELIEVERS and learn the “tricks of the trade”. I’m already pretty good due to what I’ve already learned, plus my other life experiences. But I definitely can learn even more, and I will continue to improve. I’ve also already upgraded my Santa attire, including a new red suit, leather boots and belt, and will do more of that too. Overall, I think I am already a very good Santa Claus value. Please review the nice 5-star reviews I've already recieved.
So, why am I already such a good Santa and have such a great rapport with children? Well as one 6 year old put it right before she gave Santa/me a Polar-Bear hug; “you’re silly”. Well, I’m sure you were hoping for more than that, but that is a great starting point. In general, I realize I have been leveraging my 60 years of experiences, including my professional life (yes, many adults act like young kids). I’ll explain more here, but all of it is helping me do such a great job as Santa and with helping the children feel comfortable with Santa. I think you can see it in the few pictures I’ve included.
Rather than narrate this, let’s just list a few of the many experiences, so we can get to the other details I think you are interested in to make your decision and determine if I’m worth the cost:
- Father of 4 children. There is 3.5 years between my oldest to the youngest. Yes, once we decided not to be DINK’s, we made up for lost time.
- Recreational Soccer coach of 4 year olds up to 14 year olds for 12 years. Includes, coaching 4 separate kid teams at one time during 1 season. Yes, I’m normally smarter than that, but that’s a longer story for another time.
- Assistant Scout Master for 6 years. All the annual training, safety training and lessons learned while helping, hiking and camping with the BoyScouts were amazing.
- Sunday School Teacher for elementary and junior high children for ~16 years. Where I mainly learned being “silly” helps a lot, how to make learning fun, and that bribery works sometimes too. Hey, I didn’t say it was all quality learning.
- Church Youth Group activities and chaperon for ~20years. I have many stories here, but won’t bore you. Safe to say, I learned even more with this.
- Mission Projects and ACTS 1:8 director/officer for almost 30 years. Mainly focused on youth group mission projects, including youth building/rehab projects. Again, I learned better ways to teach and get many different age kids comfortable with talking and sharing in a group, talking to adults, learning new things/skills and even how to use power tools.
- Board of Director for 15 years at Discover School, a not-for-profit learning center, kindergarten and preschool. The teachers and school director taught me a lot about interacting and teaching young children. All my kids went there too, of course.
OK, I think you get the picture. Like a lot of people, majority of my life revolved around kids. These amazing experiences have helped prepare me for the Santa Claus profession and the best ways to interact with children. I think, in part, it has helped me be a better Santa Claus than some of others.
Ok, now you want to get to one of the other major factors of this decision; what does such an amazing, fantastic, and outstanding Santa Claus cost to hire?? Well, of course, I think my quotes are not only more than fair, but really a great deal for the quality and professional Santa Claus I provide. There are definitely lower prices out there and also “not so good” Santa impersonators too. It’s not easy finding that best value that also best fits all your needs and goals. If you need a sign-spinning, catch the attention of people driving by Santa, don’t hire me. If you want a partying, dancing, do anything you want Santa, that is definitely not me either. I definitely do not dance unless it is the Reindeer Hokey Pokey. I will only maintain the proper composure and actions of the true spirit of Santa Claus (sorry you had to read so much before I set those boundaries).
Anyway, there are a lot of very good Santa’s out there for hire too. Some are priced similarly to me and even a lot higher (believe me, they are worth it, if it fits your budget). I’m still learning about the best pricing approach and how to take into account a lot of factors, including distance from O’Fallon IL, length of event, number of children, and time of year as we get closer to Christmas Day. My initial fee starts out at $125 for a 30min visit, plus $100 per half hour increments for a Santa Claus visit (non-prime days/times). The base fee covers a 30min visit and <30min away from O’Fallon Illinois. I can visit with kids, sit and talk with them ( “what do you want for Christmas”, etc), photos, read a short Christmas story, pass out presents, teach the special Santa high-five (or knuckle bump), and dance the Reindeer Hokey-Pokey. Not everyone can say that!
This quote goes up from the non-prime fee/rate, with the highest at $350 (30min) + $250 per additional 30min increments on Christmas Day. The fee/rate is in between for Christmas Eve ($250), Prime weekend days ($150-$175), and the other considerations. I do offer discounts to churches, military, police/fire/EMT, other not-for-profits, hospital visits and repeat customers. I also offer partial scholarships for other circumstances.
Please remember, there are a lot of Santa attire costs and a lot of pre/post prep, driving, cleaning and coordination time put in beyond the time of the visit. I’m open to discussing my quotes.
And finally, I can provide references and background check too. Anything else you want to know? Well good luck with that!! Oh, sorry, I’m just being “silly”, again. Please message me with any questions. Thanks.
Blessings and Merry Christmas,
Santa - Don
GENERAL SETUP (recommendation):
- Please provide a bench or chair to sit on (aka Santa’s Throne). This “throne” needs to be firm and around 18” high. Soft and low does not work well for photos or long visits (or my hips). A 2nd bench or chair is needed since some children feel more comfortable sitting next to Santa. One on either side is even better for photos of many kids and family photos.
- The suit is very, very, very warm. Please set thermostat around 68deg (lower the better). A fan and cold bottles of water would be great too. No sitting close to a fireplace.
BREAKS and PRIVATE SANTA AREA:
- At a minimum, Santa MAY need a 5-10 min break every hour. I will keep it short.
- If greater than a 1 hour visit, Santa needs access to a bathroom that kids will not access.
- A 1 hour break is also required for lunch or dinner far events longer than 4 hours.
- If the Santa area is hot, Santa may have to take a 5min break every 15min to cool off. You don’t want a fainting Santa at your event. A fan can help too.
- Similarly, if Santa is outside and it is very cold, a place to warm up would help. It depends on visit length and other factors. A heater will help too, but we need to be careful. You don’t want a Santa suit to melt or Santa to go up in flames at your event, either.
- In general for long events greater than 4hours, please provide a private room/space for the break and between multiple sessions per day.
RULES and PROCEDURE:
- We definitely need to talk well before your event to make sure we are on the same page and level set the expectations.
- Santa’s schedule is very tight and I may have to leave on time as scheduled (thank you). If schedule allows, I'm willing to stay longer, if needed. The hourly rate will be used for added times (partial hour rate at 15min increments)
- Special instructions, additions and requests need to be made and worked out in advance. I may have to decline changes or spontaneous ideas on the day of appointment.
- Please refer to me at all times as “Santa” once I arrive.
- Please do not refer to any child as naughty or bad.
- A minimum of 2 other adults must be with Santa at all times. No exception.
- If a child gets upset when placed on Santa’s lap, Santa will not force the child to stay. But have the camera ready, since those pictures can be great too
- Do not force any upset child to sit on Santa’s lap or next to Santa. There is time to help the child feel comfortable with sitting with Santa. The parent can always hold the child and be in the picture. Family photos are great.
- Decorations (if any), sitting area and photo backdrop must be young children and Santa appropriate and in good Chrustmas taste.
Thanks.
Blessings and Merry Christmas,
Santa Don
- The true Spirit of Christmas.
- The spirit of Santa Claus
- Being a Christian
- Being a father and husband
- The joy if being involved in many youth activities, youth sports and the church youth.
- The precious moments when a child "Believes" and the magic of Santa and Christmas spirit delight them.
- As already mentioned, the setup should include a bench and/or a second chair to make some children more comfortable to sit by Santa.
A fan is important to keep Santa cool.
Please provide cold bottle water.
If you want Santa to hand out gifts, please have the gifts stacked close by and/or in a bag for distribution. The child’s name needs to clearly written on package. It is best if you provide a Santa helper to hand the gifts to Santa and read off the name,
- Please provide children’s name in advance. If unusual or difficult names to pronounce, please provide phonetic spelling too (or discuss on phone).
If greater than 1hr visit, please provide private room to rest.
Photo and sitting area background/backdrop and decorations are up to you, but they must be young child and Santa appropriate and in good taste.
Amanda M. said “Very happy with the Santa provided. Will definitely use again.”
Neili H. said “Both Santa and Mrs. Claus went above and beyond to make everyone feel special. I guarantee each child went home with Christmas spirit!”
Kathleen C. said “Santa is a genuinely nice person!”
Gretchen M. said “We are forever grateful to them. Our Santa canceled at the last minute for our "Down Syndrome Group of the Ozarks" Christmas Party and they…”