Santa kicks off holiday shopping at local malls
The lights, wreaths and giant decorated Christmas tree didn't surprise Stephen Bauer when he entered the Westfield Fox Valley Shopping Center on Saturday. But he did a double-take as he walked toward the Macy's store inside.
There's Santa Claus!
“I didn't know he was going to be here already, so yeah, it surprised me a bit,” the Aurora resident said with a laugh.
Did it bother him?
“Nah,” Bauer said. “I guess Nov. 6 is pretty early for this stuff, but I think it's been going this way for awhile now. As soon as Halloween is over, we're right into Christmas.”
Saturday was the first day of Santa's annual residency at the Aurora mall. He will be there, greeting and talking to local children, through Dec. 24.
If the first week in November seems unusually early for Santa's arrival, think again. Mall officials say Santa has set up shop on the first Saturday in November for at least the last nine years.
“It's our usual time, and it's been that way for awhile,” said Lia Osburn, spokeswoman for the mall. “The retail world really does start gearing up for Christmas shortly after Halloween ends.”
And the Fox Valley Shopping Center wasn't the only place that welcomed Santa this week. Santa arrived at the Deer Park Town Center mall on Friday night to kick off the holiday season. He also met children at Gurnee Mills mall on Saturday.
Next weekend, he'll hit Woodfield Shopping Center in Schaumburg and Stratford Square Mall in Bloomingdale.
Osburn said Santa's arrival has historically been a big draw for the Fox Valley Shopping Center. That's particularly important for retailers now, with the economy still struggling.
“He's a big attraction here,” Osburn said. “His presence, combined with the decorations and atmosphere, really gets the holiday shopping season going. That's good for our retailers.”
Shoppers inside the mall Saturday said they were surprised to see Santa, but pleasantly so.
“I think it's fine,” said Kelli Stapleton of Naperville. “The fact is, many of us try to get our shopping started before Thanksgiving anyway to spread the costs out. So if we're going to be here, why not him?”
Laurie Bernacki of Naperville said Santa's early-November arrival gives children a chance to see him without having to wait in the long lines that develop as Christmas approaches.
Maria Vargas agreed. She brought her 5-year-old daughter, Estella, to chat with the man in the red coat and white beard.
“She would not be able to wait in one of those long lines,” Vargas said about her daughter. “This is perfect for us.”
Sandra Kennedy of Naperville said that when she was a child, her family didn't get into Christmas mode until after Thanksgiving dinner.
“That's when we'd start writing our lists,” she said. “But let's face it, it hasn't been like that for years. And in these times, an early dose of Santa probably helps.”