Holiday Hints: Surviving Santa

These tips for Surviving Santa were printed in the December-January 2010 issue of Parenting magazine:

Do a dry run
Days before, give your child a glimpse of St. Nick from afar, says Amy Stone, onwer of Jady Images in Miami. "When you come back for the actual photo, he'll be more familiar with what to expect."

Carry Supplies
Snacks and toys are key. Hungry kids are likelier to act out.

Distract
"Put a piece of tape on your child's finger if he gets fidgety," says Marlboro, NJ, photog Jill Caren. "Sometimes that's distracting enough that he'll forget Santa's even there."

Present his requests
Tie up his wish list with a bow, and have him hand it over, suggests Heather Dillon, a Scottsdale, AZ, photog. "It places the attention on Santa, not on him."

Think narrative gold
As the Santa at Holiday World, a theme park in Santa Claus, IN, says: "Sometimes those unposed moments make the best photos."

-Michelle Hainer