Jingle bells sound, and the smell of Cinnabon floats through the air. Little kids cheer with excitement, and families are lined up to see one jolly man in the midst of this holiday season tradition. It is Santa season at the mall.
A reliable, cheery Santa at your local mall can make or break this classic tradition. Luckily, there are three malls in our area that have solid St. Nicks who seem like they truly are from the North Pole.
The Santa experiences at the local malls were ranked based on four main criteria: Appearance, comfort, demeanor and overall experience. Each shopping center was vastly different from the next, making it hard to decide which Santa to see.
Yorktown families have three main malls to choose from. These include Tysons Galleria, Pentagon City Fashion Centre and Ballston Quarter.
- Pentagon City
Unfortunately, the St. Nick at Pentagon City comes in last place. The overall experience of Pentagon City is fairly mediocre to begin with; it is a complete hike from North Arlington, and parking is irritating at best.
Once in the mall, the frustration does not end. The North Pole photo set is tucked all the way in the back of the mall with few guiding signs giving any direction. However, the holiday set at Pentagon City is elaborate and generally above and beyond. Santa can be seen posing for photos on a coach carved to mimic an ornament.
Although the set is deemed “dope” by some, Santa’s demeanor brings down the experience. Don’t get me wrong: Santa is a nice guy, and that does not change here. However, at the other two malls, I felt like I genuinely connected with the people behind the beards, but here, it felt like Santa was going through the motions.
Despite the negatives, the person working as Santa looked nearly identical to St. Nick himself, and as an added bonus, the ornament-coach-lap setup was very comfortable whilst we exchanged holiday small talk.
- Ballston Quarter
The jolly gentleman at Ballston was able to achieve the real connection that was lacking in the Pentagon Santa. He was the perfect amount of jolly and enthusiastic during our brief time together.
Despite Santa’s kind demeanor, the overall set is fairly mediocre. The North Pole is on the first floor in an underutilized section of mall, between the escalators and Chick-Fil-A. The set itself is part of an unused, unfinished store front, and it suffers from the lackluster placement of decorations, which seem somewhat randomly strewn about. They all match the theme of Christmas, but there seems to be little organization around it.
Although the set could have been improved, the Santa running the show looked identical to the idealized images of St. Nick you see every winter. He had a thick white beard and a deep, somewhat gravely voice which came across as comforting and familiar. Not to mention, the suit was a tremendously deep, soft red which perfectly encompassed the traditional outfits of Santa Claus. As a bonus, the lap-armchair combination made for a mostly comfortable seat.
All in all, the operation at Ballston Quarter felt slightly disorganized and somewhat rushed. Without its saving grace–the incredibly genuine and humble Santa running the show–Ballston Quarter would have finished in last.
1. Tysons Galleria
Tysons Galleria is an amazing experience. The high-end mall is easy to get to from Arlington and features the best St. Nick visits in our area.
The holiday set is in the back of the mall near Bowlero (formerly Macy’s). It also sits close to the back parking garage, a convenient lot in the event that you are running late for your Santa visit.
The North Pole set at Tysons Galleria is not over-the-top with theming. Instead of being a sensory overload, it comes across in a well thought out simplistic way. As an added bonus, the seat is in the middle of a large walkway with the ceiling three stories above you. It almost feels like open air. Having the set mixed with the good vibes of the mall creates a jolly feeling that spreads all throughout the shopping center.
Santa’s demeanor only helps further the experience. He is as welcoming as he is jolly and wholesome. He was waving to passersby and was able to make the experience feel personal for each and every guest.
Another crucial factor was his outfit which served to improve the visit greatly. He wore the traditional red jacket and red pants. When paired with the intense comfort of his lap-couch set up, it differentiated Tysons Galleria from the other two malls and rounded off an already tremendous experience.
Mall Santas are a make-or-break aspect of a busy holiday season. They have the ability to bolster or completely diminish a family’s Christmas spirit in a matter of minutes. Despite this risk, the ones in our area each provide solid experiences to every customer that passes through this holiday season.
