St. Nick is getting ready to grace kids from 1 to 92 with his presents once again. Find the perfect place to take the kids for photos this Christmas season.

by Max Fisher

Find the perfect spot for Christmas photos with Santa this holiday season

Hey, Santa Claus

Once again, old Saint Nick is getting ready to grace us with his presents once again. Yes, it’s rapidly approaching that wonderful season filled with gifts, cheer, and god awful sweaters that make you feel like running out and screaming as soon as you see them. With that comes the jolly man in the red suit hyping little kids up with the promise of gifts under the tree come Christmas morning. Yet, truth be told, old Santa Claus can be a pretty hard guy to pin down come this time of year (he’s busy making last-minute present preparation and picking which cookies and milk he’d prefer this year. I hear he’s leaning towards oatmeal cookies and almond milk this year, on account of Mrs. Claus getting on him about his weight. I’m afraid she’s going to try and make him go Vegan next)! But worry not because once you finish this piece, you’ll know more than a few spots that Santa will pop up in. So what do you say we get right into it?

Kelly’s Country Store

Kelly’s Country Store is 4th generation Kelly family-owned, selling unique gifts and homemade chocolates, and a variety of candies. Typically Kelly’s County Store is a genuine trip to the past, where candies were handmade along with freshly baked sweets. Candles are measured by their quality instead of seeing if it smells like pumpkin spice or cinnamon. But come Christmastime, it’s all those things plus one of Santa’s favorite hangout spots, and if you decide to go, you’ll know why immediately. The place is transformed into a winter wonderland complete with a big beautiful tree and lights so nice it’ll make you rethink your electric bill in hopes of competing. (I’m sorry, but you can’t, so it’s best you just enjoy what they have). So if you’re looking for a great place to meet Santa and pick up a few goodies while your there, Kelly’s County Store will have you in the Christmas spirit and then some.

Santa Claus Christmas Cottage

Everyone knows a person or two that goes a little overboard come the Christmas season just for the heck of it; there’s not really a good reason. They play Christmas music 24/7. They watch Christmas movies and act like the ending is always a surprise (Santa saves Christmas? What no way, I’d have never guessed)! It comes with the season, I suppose. But what if all the Christmas Hala Ballou was done with 100% earnestness? It’s not just because the season has come around that they pull out all the stops. No, in the case of the Santa Claus Christmas Cottage, it’s because they live for the Christmas season that they pull out all the stops. Please believe that this is no hyperbole whatsoever. The Cottage is dedicated to Charles W. Howard, who many consider to be the best Santa ever by way of him filling Saint Nick’s shoes so well. Howard loved his gig as Santa so much and was so revered by everyone he came in contact with that he decided to open a Santa School to teach others the skills in his very special trade.

Although Howard is now long passed, his passion for the Christmas spirit and bringing joy to others still lives on at the Santa Claus Christmas Cottage. This cottage, close to where Howard grew up, is decorated with everything you could possibly imagine for an authentic Santa experience. From Christmas paraphernalia on all the walls to Santa letters (which are personalized letters from Santa to those kids who visit Santa at the Christmas cottage. They will receive their letters in the mail, of course, with pictures of Jolly Old Saint Nick himself.) If you’re in the mood for something that will put your Christmas spirit into high gear, or you just want to do something nice with the kids, the Santa Claus Christmas Cottage has you more than covered!

Walden Galleria

What’s a more traditional Santa spot than the mall? It’s a win-win. Santa gets to eat all the cookies and deserts the mall has to offer (and we all know the mall has a whole lot to offer in that department). And the kids get to have a quick, intimate convo about presents with the great jolly one. So if you want a sure-fire, tried and true way to entertain the kids in your life, the Galleria Mall isn’t a bad choice at all!

Don’t Forget the Carrots for the Reindeer

I usually do the conclusions for these with a mixture of 50% wit and 50% sum up, but in this case, I think this quote by Charles W. Howard will sum up this piece better than I ever could: “To say there is no Santa Claus is the most erroneous statement in the world. Santa Claus is a thought that is passed from generation to generation. After time this thought takes on a human form. Maybe, if all children and adults understand the symbolism of this thought, we can actually attain peace on earth and good will to men everywhere.” If you see Santa, ask him what kind of cookies and milk he’d like this year, I’m sure he’d get a kick out of it!

Places to See Santa in Buffalo Niagara

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Kelly’s Country Store

Grand Island

Santa Claus Christmas Cottage

Lockport

Cabela’s

Cheektowaga

Walden Galleria

Cheektowaga

Jingle Falls

Niagara Falls

Boulevard Mall

Buffalo

Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls USA

Niagara Falls

Santa Brunch @ Salvatore’s

Buffalo

McKinley Mall

Buffalo

Santacon

Buffalo

Eastern Hills Mall

Williamsville

Arcade and Attica Railroad

Arcade

AJ’s Play Date

Medina

Buffalo Zoo

Buffalo

Medina Railroad Museum

Medina

What do you think of our guide to Places to See Santa in Buffalo Niagara? Have a favorite? Know a great one that we missed? Let us know.

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