Cherry Hill Programs — Santa Cares (also presented as Caring Santa at Simon locations and Sensitive Santa at Washington Prime Group locations)
Santa Cares is Cherry Hill Programs' sensory-friendly version of the mall Santa photo visit, run at participating locations nationwide during the Christmas season. Events are usually held outside normal shopping hours, guest numbers are limited by advance registration to cut crowds and waiting, and lighting and music are reduced, with a Santa and staff trained for sensory-friendly visits. Booking is free and photo packages are optional, suiting families who want the Santa tradition without the usual mall noise and queues.
The program, as published
- Runs
- Seasonal — Christmas season Santa photo events; specific dates and times are set per location and booked through the official site (no single national date is published on the booking page)
- Where
- Participating mall Santa photo locations across the U.S. listed on the official Santa Cares booking site (locations in most U.S. states plus Puerto Rico when checked 2026-10-28); presented under different names by mall operator — Caring Santa at Simon locations, Sensitive Santa at Washington Prime Group locations
- Status
- seasonal
Source: Santa Cares — official booking site (whereissanta.com, Cherry Hill Programs' Santa photo platform) · Last checked: 2026-10-28
Sensory provisions, in detail: The program
| Schedule | Seasonal — Christmas season Santa photo events; specific dates and times are set per location and booked through the official site (no single national date is published on the booking page) Santa Cares — official booking site (whereissanta.com, Cherry Hill Programs' Santa photo platform) · 2026-10-28 |
|---|---|
| Where it runs | Participating mall Santa photo locations across the U.S. listed on the official Santa Cares booking site (locations in most U.S. states plus Puerto Rico when checked 2026-10-28); presented under different names by mall operator — Caring Santa at Simon locations, Sensitive Santa at Washington Prime Group locations Santa Cares — official booking site (whereissanta.com, Cherry Hill Programs' Santa photo platform) · 2026-10-28 |
| What changes | Most events occur outside of normal shopping hours; Advance registration required, limiting the number of guests to reduce crowds and wait times; Reduced lighting and music; Sensory-friendly trained Santa and staff; Photo package purchase optional at the event; no purchase required to book a reservation Santa Cares — official booking site (whereissanta.com, Cherry Hill Programs' Santa photo platform) · 2026-10-28 |
| Cost | No purchase required to book a Santa Cares reservation; photo package purchase is optional at the time of the event, as published on the official booking site. Santa Cares — official booking site (whereissanta.com, Cherry Hill Programs' Santa photo platform) · 2026-10-28 |
| Status | seasonal Santa Cares — official booking site (whereissanta.com, Cherry Hill Programs' Santa photo platform) · 2026-10-28 |
Before you go
- Program-level record only; no address or phone (venue-level data) — the booking site lists locations by mall and state, which are venue-level records. Seasonal and highest re-verification priority: dates are announced per season and per location, and the program name differs by mall operator, so a family may find the same program listed as Caring Santa or Sensitive Santa. The booking page also notes staff receive specialty training all season and that Monday–Thursday before 4pm generally sees reduced traffic — that general tip is not a program schedule and should not be published as one. Donations for Autism Speaks are collected at select U.S. locations during these events, per the booking page. — Santa Cares — official booking site (whereissanta.com, Cherry Hill Programs' Santa photo platform), 2026-10-28
Questions families ask about Santa Cares
When does Santa Cares run?
As published by Cherry Hill Programs: Seasonal — Christmas season Santa photo events; specific dates and times are set per location and booked through the official site (no single national date is published on the booking page). Checked 2026-10-28 — schedules are the most changeable facts in this directory, so confirm on the program page before you plan around them.
What actually changes during Santa Cares?
The organisation publishes these changes: Most events occur outside of normal shopping hours; Advance registration required, limiting the number of guests to reduce crowds and wait times; Reduced lighting and music; Sensory-friendly trained Santa and staff; Photo package purchase optional at the event; no purchase required to book a reservation. Anything not on that list is not documented — individual locations may do more, or less.
Does the program run at my local location the same way?
This is a program-level record. Its published scope is: Participating mall Santa photo locations across the U.S. listed on the official Santa Cares booking site (locations in most U.S. states plus Puerto Rico when checked 2026-10-28); presented under different names by mall operator — Caring Santa at Simon locations, Sensitive Santa at Washington Prime Group locations. Locations vary in how they run national programs, so a venue listing on this site carries its own evidence and date, and confirming with your location before a first visit is always worth the call.
Source & freshness
Source: Santa Cares — official booking site (whereissanta.com, Cherry Hill Programs' Santa photo platform) · Last checked: 2026-10-28
Report a change or an error — reports are checked and logged on this page.
Change log
- 2026-10-28 — Program record published from the organisation's own published program page (datasets v1 + expansion pass 2, merged Oct 28, 2026).
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