Booking In-Person Visits:
Frequently Asked Questions

Why That's Santa!  ?

Well, That's Santa! provides a professional Santa who spends every day of the year interacting with people as Santa. You may have heard of Santa schools — our Santa has taught at them. He has a premium, custom-designed and tailored suit, and boots cobbled especially for his feet. So, though there may be cheaper ways to provide a Santa for your event, you’d be hard pressed to find a better one! 

How much is a Santa visit?

So, how much is a Santa visit? Well, it varies. Every event is different and will require a custom quote. Just for a ballpark, a short, mid-week visit might be as little as $180, a big corporate event the weekend before Christmas might run $300 an hour, or more. Thats Santa! can even provide a complete set and photography operation with prints-on-site. Want a less expensive option? Consider a virtual visit (click me).

Please contact That's Santa! for an accurate quote. Click here ➡ Santa@thatssanta.com ⬅ to send us a request.

How Do I Book Him?

To book Santa for your visit, first check his calendar for availability. Chose the event location and length for your visit (or the next longest length if a match is not available) and the system will place a temporary hold on that slot. That's Santa! will respond to get more details about your event and provide a quote. If you agree to the quote we will write a contract. Once we agree to the contract terms, we need to collect a 50% retainer (see below). The remainder will be due at the completion of your event. Retainers may be paid via Venmo, ApplePay or check. Balances may be paid with cash, check, Venmo or ApplePay.

A Retainer? Is that refundable?

The retainer is not a deposit. A deposit is an advance, partial payment for services to be performed. A retainer is a hedge against the loss of income that we’re exposed to by blocking out the date(s) for an event on our calendar. One might think that if a client cancels an event, say, three weeks out that That's Santa! would have plenty of time to re-book that date and, therefore, the client should be due a refund. But, the truth is, the best events are large, yearly events and the planners often book six months to a year in advance. Events booked closer to the season are, generally, lower-quality bookings (from an income and repeatability point-of-view). So, though it might be possible to re-book the cancelled date with a small party or other last-minute type event, there is still considerable potential for loss if that date could have been filled months earlier with a huge, annual corporate party. 

There is one exception to the no-refund policy: if the appearance has to be cancelled by That's Santa! for reasons beyond our control. If our Santa is sick or injured we will make every attempt to provide a quality replacement, often at additional cost to That's Santa! beyond what the event pays (last minute replacements are generally not cheap!). However, the potential exists that no replacement can be found and in such case the retainer will be refunded. Severe weather that we deem to be impassable is also a reason we may cancel the appearance, and a refund will be given. If the client cancels the event due to weather that we deem passable, not only will the retainer not be refunded, but the appearance fee is also still due. All contracts are “pay or play”.

Sounds pretty sterile and businesslike!

We agree, but we'd rather be all-business on the front-end and all-Santa on the day of your event! That's Santa! exists for one reason, and one reason only: not to watch a clock, or collect a check, but to bring the unique joy of meeting Santa to boys and girls of all ages.