Santa is coming to NorthPark Center this year with a whole new bag of tricks. He will be singing and playing guitar for visitors, as well as encouraging them to sing along.
There will also be story time with Santa at the mall. His stories and songs will take place at 10:30 a.m. Monday to Saturday and 12 p.m. on Sundays.
As The Dallas Express previously reported this summer, the former NorthPark Santa, Austin-native Dr. Carl Anderson, retired after warming hearts and making children smile for 32 years.
But don’t you worry! The new Santa, Joel Lagrone, is a worthy successor — and not just because of his musical talent. He has been honing his magic sleigh riding skills by working as an aerospace engineer at Lockheed Martin for the past 23 years.
Santa’s message, as he told CBS, is one of love. He likes to offer an “encouraging word and a pat on the back” to kids who visit him.
Kids can visit with Santa from Friday, November 25, until Christmas Eve. Otherwise, patrons can go online and schedule a one-on-one visit with him. Five-minute visits begin at $25, with proceeds going toward benefiting Children’s Health. NorthPark recommends purchasing additional time if you have more than one child visiting.
If you are looking for other family-friendly holiday events at NorthPark, you can take a look at the trains on the mall’s second level. It is the most elaborate miniature train exhibit in Texas and has been a fixture for 24 years. The trains were set up on November 12 and will be up until January 6, featuring over 600 trains.
There will also be a number of Christmas Puppet Show performances on the mall’s first level. Scrooge will play from November 25 until Christmas Eve at the start of every hour from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
It will alternate throughout this time with two other shows: The Tale of Yeti’s Christmas Spaghetti and The Twelve Days of Christmas Clock. The Twelve Days of Christmas Clock started on November 10 and runs until January 1.
