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REVIEW: Adventures of Photos with Santa at Grand Ridge Plaza

Shout out to the amazing Arthur & Associates Holiday Photographers!

By Katrina Cameron, your Eastside Publisher December 1, 2016
Disclaimer: The Eastside Macaroni Kid was provided a gift certificate for photos with Santa in return for my honest review.  All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own and not influenced by Grand Ridge Plaza and/or its affiliates, in any way.

I have always been a fan of Santa, secretly to the degree of Will Ferrell's Buddy the Elf.  It's hard not to love a jolly, old man who loves cookies, comes to your house bearing gifts if you've been good, of course, and has a beard even hipsters are jealous of. But to my chagrin, these are sentiments lost on my daughter. As with any new person she meets, Santa was met with high suspicion and quite the mean mug. As soon as we stepped closer to him, the mean mugging turned into tears and so I ended up purchasing a photo with a crying Kate on my lap and a pretty devastated looking Santa.  So, a year later and as cute as the photo actually turned out, I made it my mission to get a better photo of two of my most favorite people.
 

We pull into the parking structure at Grand Ridge Plaza right next to Santa's little, blue house and I ask Kate, "Are you ready to see Santa?" She knows who he is after seeing him in Peppa Pig's Christmas episode a few times and for months has been practicing her "ho ho ho's". We walk right up to the door and are welcomed by an elf named Frosty. We step in and there he is, Santa Claus. Kate shyly hides behind my leg, but I know she just needs some time to warm up to the real deal Mr. Claus.

Santa introduces himself and reassures me there is time as there's no line behind us, so there's no reason to pressure her or rush the whole shebang. It's the reason we are here mid-week and this early into the season. I had read that Santa at Grand Ridge Plaza loves visitors, so though she's dressed in her cutest tutu overalls with not a hair out of place, I'm prepared to just visit and come back again.

Immediately, Kate gets comfy, removes her boots and socks, and takes Frosty's Rudolph and Santa's polar bear off their hands.  As we all chat, she slowly inches her way closer and closer and occasionally looks Santa in the eye.  She's playing really hard to get, so I point out the screen with a photo of Santa and another child from the other day and ask her if she wants to sit on Santa's lap and take a picture.  She says "no", but you can tell she really means "not yet."  I move a seat right next to his chair and set her on my lap, Frosty snaps a few pictures and we show them to her.  We are all doing what we can to familiarize her with what's happening. 

After an hour of her playing hard to get along with her jumping and playing while showing off her Paw Patrol toy, I tell her we have to get going soon.  I start gathering her boots and socks, but she refuses to go.  So I ask her, "Do you want to sit on Santa's lap and take a picture?"  She whispers, "Okay," and easily settles on his lap.  Frosty and I start saying all her favorite things and she finally lets out sweet smiles.  The best is when she starts singing the Peppa Pig intro song and snorts along because Santa lets out a big jolly laugh, and that becomes the money shot.  After that, she limp noodles her way off his lap and that is that.  

I review the 5 shots, narrow them down to 3, then decide on this...


All in all, photos with Santa at Grand Ridge Plaza lives up to its word and more. Though the amount of time we spent with Santa was not typical as we went midday while all the kids were in school, Grand Ridge Plaza doesn't have the lines other places do.  And if there is a little line, there are windows looking in the little house that will help you prepare your child to see Santa and take some pictures.  So if you don't want to feel rushed, if you want your child to get some quality one-on-one with a warm and caring Santa and you want it to show on camera, this is your spot!

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