Where Are the 'Good' Santas in North Dallas / Plano?

My kids didn't really like sitting on "stranger's" laps! (And as far as they were concerned Santa was just another stranger) So...we just didn't do the Santa lap thing. They are 18 and 21 now and it doesn't seem to have screwed them up for life.

I hope you find a good Santa, but if you don't then don't worry about it. My kids favorite Christmas was one of the years when they handmade their gifts for one another. They played with those gifts for many years.

The Northpark Santa is Magic! Make a day at the mall when you go. Yes, the wait can be long. But there is plenty to while you wait; lots of local schools and performing groups throughout the day, the Trains, etc.

You may not be able to completely eliminate stranger anxiety at his age, but for sure the best Santa is at NorthPark Center. The Santa there has been there for years and really takes his job seriously! Plus, he always is so cute with the kids and takes the extra time to talk with them and make sure they're as comfortable as possible. I would highly recommend a visit there -- and your son will probably love the NorthPark Trains exhibit there, too!

Have i got the place for you!!!!! In Sprinkles parking lot, Northwest Hwy/Toll road Dallas, there is by far the best Santa ever. THEY HAVE A REAL REINDEER AND SLEIGH.
We just happened to be there last Saturday going to Sprinkles. My daughter has always been scared of Santa but we saw the real reindeer so we walked over to see the reindeer which i have to admit was SUPER cool, so i talked her into standing in line and at least getting a picture with the reindeer, a lady came by and asked what my daughters name was and i told her, so as we walked up to Santa he said "hey Sydney wow you've grown since i saw you last year" well that sealed it she walked right up to him, got on his lap with the biggest eyes and smile. They took the picture and then they talked for a minute. I have the best picture of her and Santa looking at eachother engaged in conversation while sitting in the sleigh and Cupid looking on. Ahhhh it was a great time.

We took our 4 month old son to Santa at WillowBend Mall. We went on a week night and there was NO wait. Santa came up to me while I held the baby and talked to him firt. My son didn't smile or laugh - but he didn't scream or cry - so I was pleased. The photo packages are reasonably priced as well.

Good luck,
J.

I agree with everyone here - NOrthPark santa is great, however, the line is always pretty long. The Willow Bend Santa is FABULOUS!! There's never really a line since Willow Bend is an underused mall. The elves get your child's name early and tells Santa so he can know ahead of time. He's there every year and does great with the kids!!

Have fun!!

I think there are several great Santa Claus in the DFW area. If you can afford to have a professional Santa Claus visit your home or company, check out Santa Claus Allen at www.santaallen.com We have used him for many years and he is hands down the BEST!

Willow Bend Mall has a great Polar Express Santa. He even knew my daughters name (thanks to a quick tip from an elf). That really impressed my daughter. It was her best Santa experience.

NorthPark Santa is hands down the BEST! He teach child psychology at UT Arlington. This will be our 5th pic with the him this year and we don't have a single crying picture, even through the stranger anxiety phase!

We had a good Santa experience at Willow Bend. Our 5-month old just loved him and took a great photo. But the poor Mom in front of us could not get either of her girls to stop crying! It was such drama, I thought our baby would be influenced but he was good. I think what would help is to very often show your kid photos of Santa so the white beard isn't so surprising when it's for real.

That is a normal reaction at that age to Santa. Think about it going to a strange place then asked to sit on a strangers lap after standing in line for along time and this stranger has a beard how many men has he seen with a full beard.
My children are grown but when I have grandchildren I will do the same thing that I did when they were young. I had Santa come to our house we would invite a few friends over and take pictures with our own cameras it worked out great. Santa would come in and sit down let the kids that wanted to sit in his lap and the other that were a little more shy would end up sitting in his lap given time and every one ended up with great pictures. I used two different Santa during this time. It was very reasonably priced also I believe that I payed Santa $50 for a two hour visit to our house. If you are interested I can check if the one that I used the most is still doing home visits. Ms. Clause would sometimes come along also. Have a very Merry Christmas. I would also vote for the Nortpark Santa but that may not help with the stranger anxiety.

Here's the scoop with how to beat the Northpark line...

They start giving out tickets at 9am M-Sat and 10am Sunday. Have someone (Mom, dad, you, hubby, whoever doesn't have child dressing responsibility) go get your number at 9am on a week day - without the kids. It takes them 2 minutes per number to get through the line. So if you're #30, and Santa starts taking pictures at 10am, you won't see him until 11am. Don't try and bring your kids to the mall hours before then in their dressy clothes - just don't. Get there first, then change them in Macy's restroom.

Once it starts getting within about 20 minutes until that time (time Santa started + 2 minutes per number), go stand in line. Beware, the line manager is the Grinch!

I learned this the hard way (once waited for 5 hours with a very impatient 1 year old) back when my son was little bitty and since then, we've always implemented this system. We went on Sunday and were #11, thanks to my mom getting there at 8am!

He's the best Santa around and I love my years of pictures with the SAME Santa!!!

C.

We went to see the Northpark Santa yesterday. There was a great storytime with Santa where the kids get to sit and listen to Santa tell stories. However, Santa had a really terrible cough while he was telling the story - I wasn't putting my child on his lap! We'll find another Santa to get out picture taken with, but the the Northpark Santa was fun for Storytime. They also had a ridiculous system of getting a number and coming back to get your picture. My friend got their before 10am and got a ticket saying come back between 230 and 7pm! Who has time for that? There is a great Christmas train exhibit also at Northpark benefiting Ronald McDonald House, so it is worth a trip.

we saw Santa at the Bass Pro Shop in Grapevine. The Santa is awesome. They allow you to take your own photos and will give you a free 4x6 to take with you. No pressure to buy photos. This is our 2nd year going and it's always an awesome experience. We tell everyone about it.

He's not in Plano, but the Santa at Valley View is good.

The best Santa by far is at Northpark.

The Village in Allen has the BESt Santa - your son will think he's the real deal. He used to be at Stonebriar - and I had friends hunt him down - he's now in Allen. He's the BEST!

Santa's Village in Richardson

http://www.cor.net/SantasHomepage.aspx?id=4124

We have been going to the same one ever since my sister (who's 16 now) was in elementary school. Now my kids (4 and 2) know only him as Santa. He uses no stuffing, has a real beard, and his costume looks real (not like a rent-a-Santa costume).
He is now at the Village Shopping center in Allen on Stacy and 75 (across the street from the Allen Outlet). His chair is outside in front of a huge fireplace (it's really warm in there so you can take your son's coat off). On weekends he has two of his reindeer and there is a caboose and HUGE christmas tree.
He is very real looking. He used to be at Stonebriar Mall in Frisco, and now we drive to Allen. Check it out http://www.villageatallen.com/en/events.html

Northpark Center has the best Santa I have ever been to. Neither of my girls have been afraid of him. He has been doing Santa there for over 15 years and is very well known. They love going to his story time and we usually do that on a weekly basis all through the holidays cause each time is different.

Village in Allen has a wonderful Santa. Took my daughter last year when she was 8 months and didn't have a problem. She was a little more tentative this year but he was really nice and we got a good pic.

I'm on board with Northpark. We took my soon to be 15 yr old there every year. ALL of her Santa pics are with the same Santa at Northpark.

He is amazing. When we went (years ago now) we'd plan a day of it, go shopping, etc. He started around 10 am by coming down the chimney and having a short story time before he started talking to the children individually.

True, he is a psychologist. There are some great articles written about him in past Dallas area publications.

Happy Holidays!! TF

The "REAL" Santa is at Villages at Allen

Richardson has Santa's Village (corner of 75 & Arapaho) it's outside, but there are little houses that you can go into. Santa is the BEST that I've ever seen if it's still the same one. We've been at least 10 years in a row.