Our littlest peanut was so excited to take pictures with Santa and to tell him exactly what she wanted. She would not tell anyone until Santa himself knew what the item was. She just kept asking me to take photos of her with everything and was hamming it up the entire morning. I think my kids really were ready to find out if they made the naughty or nice list.
Once in, the elves ushered us over to the Naughty or Nice meter and took the kids names down. The kids stood on the meter while they were scanned and waited to find out if they made the naughty list or the nice list.
Excitedly they both made the nice list! The little girl was a little less nice than our boy (not surprising, 3 is a hard age). Both of them loved to see their names on the Nice board and stared at them for a while.
We even got my little nephew in on the fun! He also made the nice the list, which was no surprise because he is the sweetest little nugget I have snuggled in a long time. He was so good this day too!
After the Naughty and Nice list classifications we moved into the observatory of Santa HQ and the kids and adults were handed tablets that interacted with the set. The kids would point the tablets at various pictures inside the observatory and it would come to life on the tablets. My kids loved this part and were just walking around looking at all the magic happening!
They were also able to play with the various levers and buttons on the control center and it was hard to tear them away from this. The control center area made the wait for Santa so much easier and very fun. I appreciated that my kids were being entertained and brought into the magic while we waited.
After leaving Santa HQ’s Observatory we stopped for a quick photo opportunity and then moved right to the big guy! Our kids were very excited to get their photos done and have always been pretty great with Santa. They jumped right onto his lap, smiled for photos and then were able to take a moment and talk with him.
Santa was amazingly attentive and focused on the kids the entire time. He made sure to make eye contact and really listen to what they were asking for. This mom was able to find out that our little girl was asking for a BIG Princess Poppy Troll from the Trolls movie.
My little boy was just a bit shy and had a hard time figuring out what he wanted to tell Santa. Eventually they both settled on my boy writing him a letter and getting it to the elves. My son did ask him if his beard was real and Santa said it sure was and asked if he wanted to touch it. Our little guy just laughed and shook his head no.
At this point in the festivities, the little nugget was fast asleep and so Santa played along and took a little nap for their visit. It was about the cutest thing we have seen and so sweet. Santa and his elves were so amazing and accommodating!
If you are interested in checking out Santa HQ at Flatiron Crossing, you can make reservations online so that you do not have to wait. Guests are also invited to bring an unwrapped toy to be donated to A Precious Child Charity with a goal of collecting 1000 toys.
Santa HQ Presented by HGTV is available at many malls around the nation and is a really amazing experience. I know we will be going back next year. So fun!