My 4 year old has had a love-hate relationship with Department Store Santas for the past, well, four years. He’s super into the “real” Santa, of course, but only likes to admire the store Santas from afar. He particularly likes how Santa wears white gloves and never fails to mention them. “Oh, Mommy, see Santa? He’s waving just to me…with his white gloves.”
We decided to do our first Santa visit of the season at Wallingford Center, by way of Mud Puddle Club Photography. Wallingford Santa, as my son called him, is one smart cookie, newly situated in kid-row, directly across from ‘Lil Clippers and Trophy Cupcakes. You could also call him Victorian or “old-world” Santa, maybe even Jolly St. Nick, as he’s traded in his standard candy cane colored suit for a more refined crimson number with velvety chocolate brown trim. Even his beard seemed classier (nothing like Dan Akroyd’s salmon-hiding version in Trading Places), and evidently, my daughter agreed as her chubby little fingers couldn’t stop tugging on it. Santa’s studio is quite spacious and has a homey visage. The big guy sits in a comfy wingback in front of an antique fireplace that co-owner Nancy Treder had restored. As a side note, the mantle has quite a history – it was rescued from a Pennsylvania house built in 1857 – the house was spared destruction by fire when the town paid a ransom to General Sherman’s army.
My son immediately gravitated towards the toy props and wrapped gifts (he knows the drill) while a mellow and non-solicitous Santa (brought to life by co-owner Donna Murphy’s good-humored husband Steven) casually started a little conversation. They continued chatting while I looked at the costume wardrobe (they have several racks of clothing available free of charge for photos – cutesy denim and children’s party clothes) and waited for the family ahead of us to finish perusing their final choices via lap top screen. I overheard that prints currently take a few days for delivery but an on-site printer will be available soon.
To our amazement, our son didn’t head for the hills when we asked if he’d like his picture taken with Santa this year, but instead, he merely shrugged, and continued telling Santa that he wanted an airplane for Christmas- one that really flies. Donna snapped several shots of the kids while we desperately tried to get our daughter to smile, to no avail (we just couldn’t compete with that darn beard). The whole thing took hardly any time at all, and my son was handsomely rewarded with a full sized candy cane. As we walked away, he looked back at Santa and said, “Mommy, Santa got new gloves and they’re brown.”
So if you would like Santa photos with the kiddos (or pets) this year, consider visiting our very own Wallingford Santa. Nancy and Donna have 25 plus years of photography experience between them and are as nice as can be. They, along with Santa, will be around Fridays through Mondays from 10am to 8pm from now until December 31st. Family photos sans Kris Kringle are available Tuesdays through Thursdays. Just think, within walking distance, you could hang with Papai Noel, shop for toys, get a trim, and eat cake!
Psst…Mention this post when ordering and you’ll get a free 5×7 with the purchase of any photo package.
[Disclosure: Mud Puddle donated a visit to Santa to Sharon, our Wallyhood reporter]
We took our 2-year-old and it went very smoothly. There was no line and he was given time to get comfortable and play with their vintage-style airplane. They took several photos and we we able to look through them and pick the one we liked best.
We took our totling here and it went great. They were very patient and friendly and she was thrilled to meet Santa. Their setup is lovely and the whole thing was a delight.