Co-op boards and residents’ committees that book a Santa visit in New York City for the building’s holiday party can give every child in the building a turn with him in one afternoon. The board, a residents’ committee, or the building manager works with the super so the date is reserved and the room is ready. Children come down by apartment instead of filling the lobby all at once.
Where Santa sits in the building. Santa sits in a chair beside the lobby tree, or in the building’s party room or community room. The chair is set back from the front door so residents coming and going do not cut through the line. A small tree and a table for gifts are enough, and the room does not need a stage.
Buildings on the Upper West Side, in Murray Hill, Battery Park City, Brooklyn Heights, and Forest Hills call for this kind of afternoon. The super meets Santa in the lobby and shows him the room before the first family comes down. Residents without children are welcome to say hello and get a picture too, and that hello can be as short as they want it.
Turns by apartment. A sign-up sheet by apartment number lets each family know when to come down. Brothers and sisters come up together so nobody waits twice. The committee posts the sheet in the lobby a few days ahead so parents can pick a slot that works with naps and school pickup.
Each family drops one labeled gift at a table before the party, or the committee buys one small gift per child. Santa hands them out by name. Keep the wrapping simple so the name on the tag is easy to read in a moving line.
Getting the word out. A notice in the lobby and the elevator with the date and time, a week or two ahead, is enough. The same note can remind families to bring the labeled gift if that is the plan. Keep the wording short so people actually read it on the way to the elevator.
In a big building, Mrs. Claus and elves keep the turns moving as an add-on. Santa remains the guest the children came to see. A real bearded Santa suits close-up photos; a traditional Santa in a full red suit with a full styled beard is the lower-cost choice.
When you call. Have about how many children, which room, and the time the party starts. Families who enjoy the party room can use it again for a December birthday in the party room, with Santa there for the birthday child first. The contact page takes the same notes if you would rather type them.
The gift table should sit beside Santa, not by the front door, so people coming in from the street do not mix with the line. A second grown-up can stand at the table and hand Santa the next labeled gift. That keeps him in the chair and keeps the names in order.
The sign-up sheet can list a last turn so the super knows when the room will be free again. Families who miss their slot can wait for an opening at the end, instead of walking into the middle of another apartment’s turn. That keeps the line fair for the whole building.
Coats pile on the hooks by the party-room door while the line moves. Keep the afternoon inside so the photos stay warm and the children stay in one place. The party ends when the last apartment on the sheet has had a turn, not when the room feels empty.