One of the greatest things about living in Fairview is the way we’re “Keeping it Country”: quiet, close-knit neighborhoods; glimpses of wildlife including bobcats, coyotes, hawks, falcons, rabbits and armadillos; dark sky ordinances to allow the night sky to shine in all its celestial glory; two-lane highways for easy country cruisin’; and a GREAT BIG NEW SHOPPING MALL less than a mile away!!
Okay, so it’s not your typical “shopping mall.” It’s more of a “town center,” which is fancy-speak for “OUTDOOR shopping mall.” The mall is actually in two phases: The Village at Allen which is across the street from The Village at Fairview. Yep, nothing says we’re “Keeping it Country” like a 6-lane divided highway, 8-story office tower, multi-story hotel, and mega-plex movie theater selling tickets at $35 a pop.
Tonight was the first major public event at The Village at Allen: the arrival of the Santa of all Santas, or as we like to call him, The Big Guy. We have visited this Santa every year since Trey was a baby, and we have chronicled our children’s growth through their Santa pictures. So of course, we couldn’t wait to welcome him to his new mall home right around the corner from us.
There were several pre-Santa activities, including face painting, balloon art, and arts and crafts. Our children had their pictures taken with Mrs. Claus and on a real sleigh. There were live reindeer as apparently Donner and Blitzen have decided to begin their winter in balmy north Texas rather than waiting around at the North Pole until called upon for duty. The Christian radio station was doing a live remote broadcast with raffles and giveaways, and there were performances by the Allen Symphony Chorus and Orchestra as well as a vocalist from Austin. We sauntered around The Grove, which promises to be a prominent feature of The Village, and allowed our children to run around and explore in the kids’ play before we bumped into two friends from our days at PCBC. Our kids hit it off so well we ended up hanging around with them for the rest of the evening, until it was time for The Big Guy to make his appearance.
Since we have no snow, and it would be difficult to get a sleigh to operate on concrete, Santa was ushered in by way of a City of Allen Fire Truck. He managed to wind his way through the crowds to the stage, where he promptly flipped the switch and turned on the 35-foot-tall Christmas tree to the delight of many in the crowd.
We didn’t stay to have our pictures taken with The Big Guy – heck he’s so close we can drop in any time for a visit. But it was fun to be there for his inaugural visit to our neck of the woods. We’ll make sure we’re extra good since he’s so close by. Instead, we capped off our special night by building our first fire of the season and roasting marshmallows for s’mores.
All in all, it was a great way to kick off our holiday season….even if it is before Thanksgiving.
Trey and Crisana pose in a real sleigh!
Of course, Dad had to get in on the picture!
Apparently, Donner and Blitzen were hungry and tired after a long day of photo-opping,
so we weren’t able to get a very good picture of them.
With Mrs. Claus. She was the REAL deal!
The Great North Pole electric switch. Only Santa could make it work!
The Big Guy himself!