HGTV's Santa HQ Arrives at Los Cerritos Center #SantaHQ

Disclosure: We were invited as media to cover the kick-off of Santa HQ. All opinions are our own.

If you've always wanted a peak inside of Santa's headquarters, then you're in luck

because HGTV has brought Santa HQ to Los Cerritos Center. From now until Christmas

Eve you can get a behind the scenes look at how things run at the North Pole, meet

the Big Guy and get a commemorative photo with him in his sleigh.

We went to Santa's welcome party this weekend at Los Cerritos Center and we helped

Mrs. Claus and the elves welcome Santa back for this holiday season. The kids got to

decorate (and eat) sugar cookies, get their faces painted as honorary elves, and take

home a fun holiday themed craft to make. Grace especially loved decorating her very

first Christmas cookie of the season. The squeeze bottles of frosting were genius and

perfect for her to use and decorate her cookie all by herself.

The Forever 21 Court at Los Cerritos Center is where Santa has decided to set up his

headquarters this season. If you haven't been to Los Cerritos Center in a while, you're 

going to be pleasantly surprised by its recent renovation. It was beautiful inside!

{Santa's Hours}

November 4-December 10

Monday-Thursday 11am-8pm

Friday-Saturday 10am-9pm

Sunday 11am-7pm

Closed for Thanksgiving November 24

December 12-23

Monday-Sunday 10am-9pm

December 24 {Christmas Eve}

8am-6pm

When you arrive at Santa HQ there is a line for those with Reservations and a line for

General Admission. You can make reservations online at www.santa-hq.com.

They aren't required, but if you show up and the General Admission line is LONG,

you'll be in luck with your reservation and your antsy toddler will thank you! 

Once you're all checked in, then it's time to enter your name into the Naughty or Nice

O'Meter to find out which list Santa has you on. You enter you name, and then the

machine scans you. Luckily, all three of my kids were on the Nice List. However, Grace

is on the border, so she'll have to keep being good to stay there - ha!

Then it's time try your hand in the Control Center. I'm not quite sure what they were
doing with Santa's control panel, but they were having a grand time trying to figure it out
and make everything work.

Next, you can use special tablets to view Santa's magical world using Elf-Ray Vision.
You can also download the app onto your phone or other device so that everyone
can have a chance to glimpse into the life of the elves.

There are a lot of cute photo opportunities, so be sure to snap some along the way
to capture the magic and excitement that happens at Santa HQ.


Then, it's your turn to see Santa, tell him what you'd like for Christmas, and get a
keepsake photo taken to remember your visit to Santa HQ. There are early bird photo
package pricing available thru December 8th and start at $34.99.

Even though I do love a crying-baby Santa photo, it's also a lot of fun when your
toddler is in love with Santa. She was so excited to show him she can make a thumbs
up and to tell him she wants "Shoppies" for Christmas. Isabella was still terrified of him
at age two, so it's fun to have an adoring fan in Grace.

While you're there help Los Cerritos Center hopes beat last year's ABC7 Spark-of-Love
Stuff-a-Bus Toy Drive record of nine commuter buses. Donate a new, unwrapped toy
or sports equipment to benefit kids in L.A. County. All toys will be donated to
Spark-of-Love on December 2nd, so don't delay if you want to donate.