This Christmas season, Williamsburg’s favorite Santa is setting up his workshop in the heart of Williamsburg and restructuring his photo event as a community fundraiser. All proceeds will go to Williamsburg Downtown, Heritage Humane Society, House of Mercy and several other participating local non-profits.
Williamsburg Downtown is thrilled to announce their partnership with beloved local “Santa,” Jim Hines. Jim has been known to thousands of families as “Yankee Candle Santa” from his years in the role at Williamsburg’s former Yankee Candle location. When the Williamsburg location permanently closed its doors earlier this year, Ben Munson, a local Realtor and member of the Williamsburg Downtown Board, was not ready to lose the holiday magic. “I remember thinking, there goes my kids’ Santa, but it occurred to me that this could be an opportunity to convert a corporate event into one that could support a number of local charities.” said Munson. Williamsburg Downtown immediately began plans to create what will be a Santa experience unlike any other in the area.
The event runs daily 12-8pm from November 26th through December 23rd and is both kid and pet friendly. Weekdays are dedicated to children’s portraits with Santa, while Saturdays and Sundays are reserved for ‘Santa Paws’ pet portraits, in partnership with Heritage Humane Society. Photo sessions are $50 per family and include high resolution digital copies of all images taken for guests to freely print with their vendor of choice.
In an effort to minimize COVID exposure and to optimize families’ Santa experience, photo sessions are booked in advance for specific time slots. Event organizers aim to eliminate the need for long lines and encourage families to spend more time shopping, dining and exploring all the wonderful businesses downtown.
Santa’s elves will take over the Memorie Group Real Estate office at 439 Prince George Street, and convert it into Santa’s workshop and photo studio for the duration of the holiday season. Reserve your photo session ASAP to ensure you don’t miss out. For weekday photo sessions, sign up here. For weekend photo sessions, sign up here. If you would like to volunteer to help with the event, sign up here.
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