This holiday season, grab the family and experience Santa HQ by HGTV! This one of a kind Santa experience is something our family looks forward to every year. I wish my childhood Santa visits included the Naughty or Nice Meter and Elf-Ray Vision. I was lucky if there were more than a few sad Christmas tress decorating the mall!
This post is sponsored. All opinions are my own, I promise. I don’t want to end up on the naughty list!
Experience Santa HQ by HGTV
Santa HQ is the perfect way to kick-off your holiday season. It's not just about meeting the big man himself but having special moments with your family along the way. The geniuses at HGTV have thought of everything. Not only is the queue area a blast but you can save yourself some time by reserving your spot in line online! For anyone who has dealt with a cranky child in a long line, you know this is magical!
After you check in, it's time for the moment of truth. Are you naughty or nice? The Naughty or Nice O'Meter stands ready to let Santa know which list you belong on.
He's thinking, maybe I shouldn't have broken my sister's LEGO building before coming here. Meanwhile this one looks smug, thinking she's got this Nice List thing in the bag.
They passed. Maybe the meter was off, because I have my own opinions on this one! Just kidding! Maybe? *Cough* Moving on… New this year at Santa HQ is the Elf Academy.
Inside the academy have some fun with Santa's Magic Mirror. It allows your little Elf to try on the latest North Pole fashions. The images can be emailed to you to enjoy all season long.
You can't be a member of Santa's Squad without an official Elf ID Card. Customize your card and then email it to print out at home.
After we were officially registered with the Elf Academy, it was time to head into Santa's Observatory, to check on the candy cane stocks, mischief meter, reindeer radar, and more.
It's a lot of work getting the big guy ready for the big night!
One of the reasons our kids enjoy this visit with Santa is how much fun they have while waiting in line. It doesn't feel like you're waiting when you get to play with flight controls and use Elf-Ray Vision to see the magic in the world around you.
Elf-Ray Vision is a special app that acts as special goggles which bring to life several augmented reality experiences throughout Santa HQ. Look for triggers at the entrance, in the workshop, underneath the Christmas Tree, and in the observatory. If you don't have your own smartphone no worries! Santa's Elves have tablets you can borrow while in the area.
See some of the fun to be had at Santa HQ by HGTV!
Meet Santa!
At the end of your Santa HQ experience, hop up on the couch and tell Santa what you want for Christmas. Don't forget to smile! Santa HQ photographers are there to capture those magical moments.
Holiday Giving Drive
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 2016, 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.
Visit The Santa HQ Near You
Santa HQ is located at 15 different locations at Macerich Shopping Centers including California, Arizona, Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C. Reserve your spot today!
HGTV does it again. What a fun way to spend the day with your kids and togethers as a family. Great they start with the naughty or nice meter. Bet everyone get to be nice.
This is such a cool spot! I need to see if we have one near us. My kids are older, but I think they’d still have a blast with something like this.
My brother lives in California and they’re looking for a Santa like this. I am going to show them this post because I think it would be a perfect Christmas picture for them.
Wow! Santa HQ by HGTV knows ow to do it right! I wish I had known of this when my son was younger. What an amazing holiday experience!
What a great way to get into the holiday spirit. I’m always looking for fun holiday things to do with the kids. This is awesome
We were lucky to be able to go to a SantaHQ last year and it was so much fun. I will look for one near me this season because I have to see Santa every year.
I love how the Santa headquarters popping up are so interactive. Back in the day not every kid wanted to take a picture with Santa, but now by making it a whole experience, it makes it so much more enjoyable for the whole family.
This seems like such a fun place for kids. I have seen many photos online of fun time that families have been having here.
HGTV did an amazing job with this. I would love to bring my family, this looks like something they would love.
What a fabulous experience! My kids would have loved seeing whether they were Naughty or nice, and the visit with Santa would be the cherry on top of this adventure.
Ok, that looks like incredible fun! I want to do this myself. I haven’t been to a HGTV event.
Wow, Santa experiences are so high tech these days! I bet my granddaughter would love this Santa experience.
This looks like so much fun! I would love to take my nieces and nephews to something like this! LOL!
HGTV always has great ideas. My kids would love to experience this, it sound so much fun!
What a fun place to visit! My kids would have a blast here. I love all the different activities they have. The cold winter months can be tough, and it’s nice to have things like this for kids to have fun during the holidays.
This looks like something my kids would love! I love interactive things like this!
I love the HGTV Santa HQ! I wish there were more spread out through the states, I know some kids who would love to go
The Santa HQ sounds wonderful. The Grands would have such fun, and the convenience of online appointments is perfecto. Hopefully this experience will make its way to Florida soon.
Looks like they had the time of their lives at Santa HQ! I hope they come up with something like this here, I bet my kids will love it.