Frequently Asked Questions

Santa will knock on your door (no dropping down the chimney this time) and greet everyone at the house. Santa will sit down and chat with the children and then give them a gift to open. (You secretly provide the gift in advance). You can take a couple pictures and Santa willl be on his way back to the North Pole!

Santa will visit any home in Needham. You must have at least one child present who is of "Santa believing age" between the age of 2 and 9 years old. Santa will (and should) bring gifts for every child in the home, even if they are outside of this age range. We just need at least one child within that age range for Santa to visit.

All our Santas and their drivers and helpers are volunteers. We charge only $15 to cover the costs of the Santa suits, wigs, beards, bags, boots, etc.

The short answer is no. Santa will visit between 5:00 and 7:00 PM on Christmas Eve. However, on your registration form, you can ask for a somewhat more limited time frame. For example, if you're coming from Church and may not arrive by 5:00 PM, you can ask to have your visit after 5:15 PM. If you have guests that are leaving at 6:30 PM, you can ask for a visit before that. We cannot accept a request to come at 6 PM. The BEST option is not to request a limited time frame. It is very complex to route 110 houses and the more requests the harder it is.

No, all volunteers, organizing, sorting, prepping of gifts, gear and the rest is targeted for Christmas Eve. See you next year!

Santa brings gifts that you secretly provide in advance. You will receive instructions to purchase an inexpensive gift for each child who will be at the home during Santa's visit; even if that child is not within the 2 to 9 year old age range and even if that child is visiting and does not live there. You will be asked to place all gifts into a sealed bag an ddrop off your gift bag to a local Needham residence about 5 days before Christmas.

Purchase one inexpensive gift for each child who will be at the home during Santa's visit. Wrap each gift and write the child's name in large bold market so Santa can read it through his bushy eyebrows. All gifts must fit and be placed into a brown paper bag that you can get from Roch Brother/Sudbury Farms or Trader Joe's. Do not put any correspondense or payment into the bag, the bag remains sealed until it arrives at your house with Santa on Christmas eve. Staple the bag shut (we prefer stapling over taping as it is much easier to open). You will be given an address to drop off your bag of gifts to a local needham residence due by about 5 days before Christmas.

Yes, this is a favorite part of our Santa visits. Santa will try to mention things you put on the form that may suprise the child that Santa knows. Examples of good things to write: name of a friend, a teacher, a pet or their favorite stuffed toy. You can include that their grandparents are visiting from Florida and that they have a cat named Molly. Examples of things that do not work and you should not write include vague statements such as "he loves his sister" or "is trying to be very helpful."

About one in every five homes Santa visits are charitable visits where the family has a need and gifts are donated. For these families, Needham Santa receives a wish list of needed items that may include coats, hats, schools clothing, shoes, etc. Needham Santa raises money and purchases these items along with a special toy or doll for each child. Needham Santa collects, wraps and deliveries these gifts on Christmas Eve as part of his route.

Visit our website at needhamSanta.com and choose "Charitable Sign-Up" from the menu. Fill out the short form and then check your email for a link to complete the registration form. That registration form includes a list of your children and their wish list of items they need.

Needham Santa is part of a Needham based Non-Profit Organization called Needham Community Action Network (needhamCAN.org). All our Santas and their drivers and helpers are volunteers. We charge only $15 to cover the costs of the Santa suits, wigs, beards, bags, boots, etc. But 20% of the homes we visit are families in need located right here in Needham. Needham Santa raises money to purchase needed items, and toys for these children and delivers them along with all the other stops on Santa's journey.

Email Us at   info@needhamSanta.com   (preferred)

Call Gary at 781-400-5533