[exp] [/exp]Paying for 
the kids to see Santa goes against everything in me. That said, I know that some of you prefer the Santa at Phipps, and I wouldn’t want you to miss out. I’ll consider this my PSA-worthy post of the 2011 season:
The procedure for booking an appointment to see the Santa at Phipps has changed yet again. To be honest, even if I were keen on taking the kids to Phipps for that experience, they’ve added a level of hoop-jumping that would cause me to look elsewhere, but I digress…
For 2011, you must pre-register in order to receive an invitation to register for an appointment to visit with the Santa at Phipps. Yep. Step 1) Register for an invite. Step 2) Wait for an email invite so that you can register. Invites are being sent out weekdays in batches of 300-500.
Step 3) Once you receive your invite (assuming you make it into the mix & book your appointment before the last 2,000 or so spots are filled), use the link to book your appointment (click through via a computer, not your smartphone). You’ll need to pay $15 to book your spot, of which $10 can be applied toward purchases at the Santa Desk.
And now, back to deal posts…
–Jennifer Maciejewski
I would have to disagree with the above comment. This will be our 5th year going to see this santa. My daughter was 6 weeks old the first time she went and he took up lots of time with her. Every year since then he has as well. I love getting the videos and listening to the things that I couldnt hear when I was watching her. Now I have 2 children and will continue to go see him as long as I can. We travel over an hour to get there and love him. I like the way the appointments are done because it keeps us from standing in line with 2 small children and having them upset before we even get to see him.
And after all the hoop-jumping, the visit with Santa wasn’t worth it! We were very disappointed. This was my 10 month old grandson’s 1st visit to see Santa and will be our last to Phipps. The only children who received quality time with Santa were those screaming and crying. Since my grandson sat right down and just looked at Santa they immediately snapped 2 photos without even giving him a moment to warm up and when he reached up and touched Santa’s beard and smiled they didn’t even bother to take the picture! Thank goodness for other Santas.