Where’s Santa?

As the Yellow Scene staff works its collectives butts off to get this December/January issue together, thoughts turn to the many people involved with delivering countless toys to countless children all over Boulder County. Yes, we all know that the big man himself is heading up the operation from his North Pole HQ (and don’t even begin to tell us that Santa isn’t real – he very definitely is), but there are a lot of helpers that get a shoe in, from the elves and reindeers to the many Santas on the streets and in the stores, filling in for the main man while he puts the finishing touches to the holiday preparations.A

This is, as the old song goes, “the most wonderful time of the year,” and here in Boulder County it’s a particularly special time. The mountains look spectacular and the air feels crisp. And of course, we want to take our kids to see Santa.

St. Nick on the Bricks sees ol’ St. Nick arrive at Pearl St. Mall’s visitor information center every Saturday until December 18 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. It’s free but there is nobody there taking pictures so be sure to take your camera. In fact, Pearl Street offers a really beautiful setting for a Santa visit and, with Macy’s Santa mailbox just around the corner, it’s extremely convenient. They say, “Whether you are asking for a fire engine for Tommy, a new doll for Molly, or a diamond ring for mommy, bring your list and a camera to capture priceless holiday memories.”

For the ideal mall Santa experience, try Santa’s Holiday Home at Flatiron Crossing. The Santa Fly By program allows you to sign up for the virtual visit line in advance. You then simply show up when it’s your turn. No more trying to keep your restless child occupied for what seems like an eternity. Also, you and your child can scan yourself at the Naughty-Or-Nioce-Meter (we daren’t do that) and experience elf-vision in Santa’s Magical Observatory. What is elf-vision? Does it mean that you have to look up a lot? We guess you’ll have to show up and find out.

A little further out, and Santa can be found at Larimer Square in Denver through December. There are carriage rides and carolers, resulting in a movie-like Christmas experience.

As we get older, cynicism creeps in and we start to consider the overt corporate and capitalist nature of Christmas. It’s important to remember that our parents and their parents had the same arguments but, when we were children, we didn’t care. We allowed the magic of the holiday to shut out everything else. There’s really no reason why we can’t keep doing that. Take a minute to look at Christmas through a child’s eyes and it becomes a beautiful thing again. There’s no better way to encourage that feeling than to take your little ones to see Santa.

To follow along with Santa’s journey this year be sure to bookmark Google’s Santa Tracker to keep tabs on when to expect the big man to spread his cheer to our corner of the world.