Tired of high prices and mediocre entertainment, Penn Square Mall created “The Penn Square Players”—a six-member theater troupe that performs for children. The Players produce about four shows a year, in parallel to the center’s seasonal themes and activities.

To help ease the frustration of waiting to see Santa, Hamilton Place integrated interactive toys into its Santa set.

Fox River Mall sought to alleviate some holiday stress that the 3,500 employees within experience with its “Stress-free Sweepstakes”. Employees were encouraged to fill out wish lists and enter them in a draw. Santa personally delivered five lucky employees everything they had wished for; and since the lists tore away to become post cards, more than 200 lists were mailed to the employees’ families to serve as gift hints (and to increase the likelihood of a visit to the mall).

Dadeland Mall invited more than 50 hearing-impaired students to visit a special “Signing Santa” and his elves.

People often don’t know what gift to get someone, or where to get it—so Meridian Mall hosted a 20-minute “Great Gift Ideas” show in center court. Gift suggestions were separated into price ranges of under $20, under $50, and over $50, and each viewer received a card that listed each item, its price, and its location in the mall.

The Mall at Sears annually sets up its “Hobbitland Children’s Shop”, catering to its youngest shoppers.

Galleria at Tyler has always focused on kids at Christmas, with 3.8 children per household and almost 200,000 students in its primary market. The mall hosted a pajama party to tie into the arrival of Santa, drawing inspiration from The Night Before Christmas, and had a turnout of 1,500 children.

Mission Valley Center’s “More Merry, Less Moolah” campaign gave shoppers a reason to visit—and come back another time.  Overall, 33,200 more people visited the center during the event period.

Belle Promenade tied into its rural community’s sense of values and traditions to increase holiday sales, traffic, and customer loyalty.

Hamilton Mall transformed the upper level of its center court into a magical gift workshop, giving kids the opportunity to experience the joy of giving. The cost to take part was $1, which went to The Children’s Seahorse House Auxiliary. Projects included potpourris, ornaments, reindeer ears, and even decorated dog bones for their pet.