Catch Santa
How to catch Santa in your house this Christmas Eve
Every kid wants to know if Santa really came. Here are the classic ways families catch Santa, and how to make a photo of Santa in your own living room that your kids will talk about for years.
Your first photo is a free preview.
Classic ways to catch Santa
Leave cookies and milk, and a carrot for the reindeer. On Christmas morning, a bitten cookie and an empty glass are the first clues.
Ask Santa to write back. A short note in different handwriting by the plate is easy and kids keep it for years.
Make Santa's boot prints. Flour or baking soda pressed with a boot leaves snowy footprints from the fireplace to the tree.
Set a Santa trap. Kids love building a trap with string and a bell. Santa always escapes, but he might leave a jingle bell behind.
Catch Santa on camera
The most convincing proof is a picture. A photo of Santa next to your own tree, taken by the doorbell or a night camera, feels like real evidence because kids recognize every detail of the room.
CaughtTheMagic makes that photo from a picture of your room. You choose the camera style and we add Santa so he fits the light and the angle.
Your kid set up a camera to catch Santa?
Lots of kids now plan to catch Santa on the security camera, the doorbell cam or a phone left on the shelf. On Christmas morning the first thing they ask is: did the camera get him?
You don't have to say the camera missed him. Take a photo of the same room on Christmas Eve, pick the camera look that matches the one your kid set up, and have Santa's footage ready before anyone wakes up.
Choose security cam for a home camera, doorbell cam for the front door, night vision for a dark room, or phone snapshot if they hid a phone. Your kid gets proof from their own camera angle, and the plan worked.
How to catch Santa with CaughtTheMagic
1. On the evening before, take a photo of the room with the tree lights on and no people in the shot.
2. Upload it and choose doorbell cam, night vision, security cam or phone snapshot.
3. Download the photo, or make a five second video, and have it ready for Christmas morning.
When to show the photo
Many parents show it on Christmas morning, right after the kids find the empty cookie plate. Others send it to grandparents on Christmas Eve as a surprise.
Keep the story simple: the camera was on, and look who walked by.
Questions parents ask
What is the easiest way to catch Santa?
Leave out cookies and a note, then show a Santa cam photo of your own room on Christmas morning. It takes about a minute to make.
Can I catch Santa in my own living room?
Yes, that is the whole idea. You upload a photo of your own living room, hallway or tree corner, and Santa is added with the same light, angle and furniture, so your kids recognise their own house.
My kid set up a camera to catch Santa. What do I show them?
Photograph the room your kid was watching, from roughly the same spot as their camera, and choose the matching camera style. The photo shows Santa in that exact room, so it looks like their camera caught him.
How much does it cost?
Your first photo is a free preview. Credit packs start at $4.99 for 5 credits, and a video costs 4 credits.
Will it look like my house?
Yes. We start from your own photo, so the room, the tree and the decorations stay the same and Santa is added into it.
Do I need to upload photos of my children?
No. Only the room. We ask you to confirm the photo has no people in it.
Do I need to download an app?
No. It works in the browser on your phone or computer. Upload a room photo, pick a camera look and the photo is ready in about a minute.
Your first photo is a free preview.