• Looking for a holiday marketing idea for your pizzeria? Here are several that have proven successful at pizzerias around the U.S. and Canada.
• Never underestimate the kid-pleasing power of a visit from Santa Claus (or even the Grinch) to your restaurant.

Related: Six more fun, moneymaking holiday ideas for your pizzeria

The holiday season is upon us, and the last thing you want to worry about is a “silent night” during the “most wonderful time of the year.” So how can you get creative in your marketing over the next two months? Check out these four ideas that have generated excitement at independent and chain pizzerias in recent years.

• Host a “Lunch With Santa.” In 2018, UNO Pizzeria & Grill restaurants in Dayton, Ohio, let parents book reservations for their children to enjoy lunch with Santa Claus. The kiddies got to bend the old man’s ear about their wish lists while munching on pizza, just in the “nick” of time before the jolly old elf finalized his naughty-and-nice list. Each session lasted 90 minutes, cost $9.99 per child and included a photo with Santa, arts and crafts, and storytime. Kids with a little more gumption opted to dine with the Grinch, who, we are told, refrained from stealing Christmas that year.
• Create a holiday date-night bundle. With locations in Jersey City and Asbury Park, New Jersey, Pizza Porta knows how to get customers in the mood for Christmas and a little smoochie-woochie. In 2020, Pizza Porta offered a seasonal date-night bundle like none other: Couples shared two pizzas and a carafe of wine or a pitcher of beer, then went home with a Christmas tree of their choice. Bundle prices started at $60 and climbed up to $85 for a larger tree.

• Stuff an online Christmas stocking. Pat’s Pizza in Ellsworth, Maine, launched a Christmas 2017 campaign on Facebook that earned thousands of reactions, comments and shares while cross-promoting other businesses in the area. The pizzeria gave away more than $1,000 in goodies from local retailers and shops in the Ultimate Christmas Stocking contest. These included gift cards from a local bakery, a beer store, a florist and the hometown Walmart and Starbucks; a necklace from a local jeweler; VIP car wash tickets; mugs, T-shirts and candy; and two $200 gift cards for Pat’s itself. Over the course of the campaign, the posts garnered 10,752 reactions, 7,240 comments and 6,828 shares.
• Create a Christmas pizza. That’s exactly what the Canadian chain, Boston Pizza, did in 2019. The pie featured seasoned rotisserie turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, Italian cheeses and a rosemary cream sauce. Create your own recipe, but don’t forget the gravy on top, or you’ll find nothing but coal in your stocking.