December 11, 2003


Santa Sightings—B.Y.O.C. (bring your own camera)

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

To encourage shoppers to beat the crowds at the malls, several storeowners at Princeton Plaza negotiated a special deal with Santa to make rare appearances throughout the holiday season at the small shopping center.
“We all got together and decided we needed to have Santa back,” says Carol Holland of Carol’s Collection. We haven’t had him here for two years, so we all pitched in and took up enough for Santa’s visits, posters and flyers. We’re very excited to have him here.”

Holland explains that several of the small independent stores made the decision to stimulate more traffic and provide an opportunity for children to see Santa without waiting in long lines and feeling pressured to pay inflated prices for photos. “It’s not a corporate thing,” she adds. “This is strictly sponsored by all the little shops trying to help people find Princeton Plaza again. It’s really a nice mall. We’re full, and we’ve got everything here. Now we have Santa.”

In a personal interview with the man in red himself, Santa shared his recent schedule with us. “Well, I’ll be busy getting all the toys ready to go,” he said. “From here on out, I’ll be making sure the reindeer are in good condition, properly fed and taken care of so they’ll be ready to fly on the 24th.”

Before heading out to visit other cities around the world, Santa’s personal advice for children of all ages this holiday season is to simply, “Behave yourself, be helpful and enjoy it.”

Santa will be returning for special visits to Princeton Plaza Mall, located at Blossom Hill and Meridian, every Saturday until Christmas from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. There is no charge to visit or have photos taken with Santa, but shoppers are encouraged to bring their own cameras and take as many photos as they like.