Santa ushers in the holiday season at Woodfield

The calender reads early November, but as far as Santa and his helpers are concerned, the holidays are just around the corner.

Santa and his crew arrived with much fanfare Thursday evening at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, where he'll set up shop for nearly two months before he returns to the North Pole.

Conant High School's drum line led a parade heralding Santa's return. The parade marched to the Ice Palace in the mall's center court, where Santa's elves offered kids an assortment of candy and bell necklaces.

Among the special events ahead at the Ice Palace are "Caring Santa" events from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Nov. 20 and Dec. 4, during which the mall will provide children with special needs and their families a sensory-friendly environment to safely experience the time-honored tradition and magic of Santa. Guests must register in advance at http://simon.com/caringsanta.

The mall also will host pet photo nights from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 13 and Nov. 20. Visits with Santa are complimentary, but professional photo packages will be available for purchase.

The mall also will be accepting donations to the Noerr Programs to Save the Children. For nearly 100 years, this nonprofit has given underserved children in the U.S. a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. Since the program began five years ago, Noerr has collected more than $1 million.