Santa Claus at Macy's Herald Square by appointment only this year

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Santa Claus is coming to town, but now you will need a reservation to see him.

For the first time ever, you need an appointment to meet St. Nick at Macy's Herald Square on 34th Street. You can sign up by clicking here.

Santa will be at the flagship store from Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. No walk-ins will be allowed.

Families can sign up for a time slot from 30 minutes to five days in advance. Admission is free to Santaland Herald Square and runs from the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve.

Macy's says the new arrangement is intended to cut down on wait times and make it easier to see the man in the red suit.

"Santa's a popular guy, so the wait times to meet him have been quite long in previous years, especially on our busiest days," the company said.

Santaland is a 13,000-square-foot North Pole village complete with live elves and a train display, plus the world-famous Santa, immortalized in the film "Miracle on 34th Street." The store opened in 1902.

The department store says families can cancel a reservation and make a new one at any time.

And they say don't be too early or late for the time slot, and be sure to check in with an elf when arriving.

"Santa's day is packed! To help keep him on schedule, please arrive within your time slot," the company said.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)