Christmas Party Entertainment Ideas in Chicago

A background-checked Santa performer, in a real beard or a classic red suit, comes to the home or the venue for a flat rate agreed up front. Chicago families with a wide age range in the room should keep the visit short — photos and a gift per child, rather than a long sit-down that invites an older sibling to say too much.

The same face painters booking Chicago parties all year swap in a December design sheet — snowflakes, a candy cane, a tiny reindeer nose — at the same hourly rate. It’s the fastest way to give every arriving guest something to show off before the games even start.

White, silver and icy-blue balloons twisted into an arch or a cluster behind the food table or wherever Santa sits turns an ordinary Chicago living room or party room into a backdrop worth the photos. It’s a standard balloon-art booking, built in under an hour.

A booked magician re-themes the usual set for December — a vanishing ornament instead of a vanishing coin — for the same flat per-show rate Chicago families book any other month. Run it right after the Santa visit, while everyone’s still seated and warmed up.

Families who want a character on top of Santa, not instead of him, can book a separate costumed character performer in festive dress for photos and a short meet-and-greet — a good option once the guest list is bigger than one Santa visit can comfortably cover.

A character performer leads a few familiar carols and a round of gift-themed games — a candy cane scavenger hunt, pass the parcel wrapped in Christmas paper — filling the gap between the Santa visit and cake so nobody’s left standing around unsure what happens next.