This is a sponsored blog post; while the views expressed here were genuinely mine, consideration was paid to me by Santa HQ to review this product.
Are you ready to visit Santa? Last year, we enjoyed our visit to the Santa HQ experience at the Danbury Fair Mall so much that we had to go back.
The Elfie Selfie was one of our favorites of our visit this year! I know that I was just as excited as my girls to see if I was on the naughty or nice list. We really loved the interactive aspects of the HGTV experience and Santa was wonderful. He really engaged with the girls and they were all smiles. I always feel that Danbury Fair is worth the drive from NY with the great selection of stores and the addition of HGTV’s Santa HQ, I know you will have a great holiday mall experience.
HGTV and Macerich Shopping Centers have teamed-up again to bring you “Santa HQ” an amazingly unforgettable holiday experience that excites and engages the young and the young at heart alike.
HGTV’s Santa HQ adds a whole new dimension to the traditional family Santa Claus visit by guiding visitors through an immersive, interactive holiday extravaganza that uses state-of-the-art digital technology. With 15 different locations at Macerich Shopping Centers in California, Arizona, Chicago, Metro New York, and the Washington, D.C. corridor, each Santa HQ location is set to astonish you, your family and friends with a dazzling array of holiday experiences, including:
- The traditional photo-op with Santa Claus
- Elf Academy, a new, family-friendly experience that features interactive technology to enhance the entire HGTV Santa HQ visit. New additions to the Elf Academy include:
Elf-ID: Guests can create their very own customized Elf-ID card using the new Elf-ID app and a “selfie”.
- Elfie Selfie: Where visitors take a selfie and star in their own holiday video
- Elf-Ray Vision: Guests can explore Santa’s Observatory through the use of special goggles that trigger a series of augmented reality experiences at multiple locations throughout Santa HQ including two triggers at Entrance Arch; one trigger on exterior of the Workshop; Toy triggers underneath the Christmas Tree in the Workshop, and enhanced triggers in the observatory
- Naughty or Nice Meters: Where visitors can stand next to an interactive board to find out which list of Santa’s they made
- Light Show: With more than 10,000 individual holiday lights synchronized to the tune of “Carol of the Bells” to create an illuminated orchestra
Photos with Santa
To enhance the enjoyment of Santa HQ’s photos-with-Santa experience and spend less time waiting in line, guests can now select the date and time of their photos session by making a Santa Reservations, click here. The reservation system enables users to select and pre-pay for their photo package, and it gives them the opportunity to upgrade their package by making their family photo session days or even weeks in advance. The online reservation system even has an opt-in text functionality to provide reminders about their Santa photo session reservation.
In the Holiday Spirit of Giving
Visitors to Santa HQ will also be able to enjoy the holiday spirit of giving through HGTV’s Help Through Holiday Giving Drive. The program encourages visitors to donate new, unwrapped toys for local children in need with the goal of collecting over 1,000 toys per center. In 2017, HGTV’s Help Through Holiday Giving program collected over 66,000 toys benefiting local organizations like Forgotten Angel Tree, Salvation Army Angel Tree, Toys for Tots, and Spark of Love Stuff a Bus.
In the Holiday Spirit of Giving
Visitors to Santa HQ will also be able to enjoy the holiday spirit of giving through HGTV’s Help Through Holiday Giving Drive. The program encourages visitors to donate new, unwrapped toys for local children in need with the goal of collecting over 1,000 toys per center. In 2017, HGTV’s Help Through Holiday Giving program collected over 66,000 toys benefiting local organizations like Forgotten Angel Tree, Salvation Army Angel Tree, Toys for Tots, and Spark of Love Stuff a Bus.
So much fun and some great pics as well.
This sounds so fun!
Looks like a great Santa to visit! Great pictures!
This looks like such a fun experience to meet Santa! I’ll have to make a visit soon. Merry Christmas.
aww so cute love Santa photos with the kidos. Thanks for the contest giveaway on the other post and thanks for the chance.
I wish we had a mall like that near us. Ours is pretty small and most of the store have moved out.
That looks like such a fun way to see Santa!
This looks awesome! The Elf-Ray Vision and the Naughty or Nice Meters sound especially fun! I love that they collect donated toys too.