Say Cheese! 13 Photo-Worthy Santas Worth the Wait

Whatever your tradition is---there are plenty of options (and plenty of St. Nicks) to choose from this year. Here are 13 Seattle-area standouts.

By Erin Cranston November 1, 2012

We parents make the holidays so difficult sometimes, whether it’s dressing the kiddos up in scratchy Christmas outfits, making them wait in long lines for hours, or insisting they sit on some bearded dude’s lap just so we can get our treasured Santa photo. Do they really remember that we go to the same Santa every year? Probably not, but it sure makes for a seriously awesome Christmas tradition. To help minimize the Santa photo stress, we’ve rounded up the best places to seek out your St. Nick nirvana. Choosing the least meltdown-inducing matching Christmas sweaters for your mini-mes? That one’s up to you.

Reindeer Games: Swanson’s Reindeer Festival

In addition to (or in lieu of) visiting with the real, live Swanson’s Santa on weekends starting November 23, don’t forget about the real workhorses of the holiday season: his reindeer. They like their photos taken, too, and at the Reindeer Festival at Swanson’s Nursery in Ballard, you can visit with Dasher and Blitzen, plus Curley the curious camel. For $2 you’ll go home with a Reindeer Festival button and 50% of all proceeds go directly to the Seattle Humane Society. Feeding times happen daily at 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. Photo packages with Santa start at $20; reindeer photos are free (BYOC).

Dates: November 9 – December 24

9701 15th Avenue NW
Seattle, Wa 98117
206-782-2543

Let us know where you take the kiddos for Santa photos every year in a comment below!

–Erin Cranston & Allison Ellis

Photos credits: Fred Jala via Flickr, Katie Christiansen, Space Needle Facebook page, santaphotos.com, Erin Cranston, Heidi Larsen, Danielle Dolbec, Janine Vazquez, Christmas Creek Farm website and Arin Winsor, Wing Luke Museum Facebook page