At the Four Seasons Mall, families wait in line for their children to have a few minutes with Santa Claus. He is a jolly man and a good listener. He is very patient and waits as long as it takes for the photo opportunity to be just perfect. After all, these are memories of a lifetime that children are building.

The mall has been hopping this week as shoppers make their last minute purchases. People seem to be in good spirits and the sales help is generally cheerful and helpful. We were especially impressed with the employees of the kiosks. The woman at the calender kiosk, the man at the ornament stand, and the stylists at the hair straightener station were so knowledgeable. And the flying, mylar fish booth was impressive. If you have time, get an on the spot back and neck massage. We were waited on by people from Turkey, Mexico, Maine, Vietnam, Israel, and North Carolina– truly a multicultural experience.

By 9:30 pm on December 22nd, people were lined up to purchase the Air Jordan X1 Retro Holiday 2011 tennis shoe the minute it was released. Technically, they were to be sold on December 23rd. Perhaps shoppers had to wait until midnight. Perhaps Santa put a few pairs on his sleigh………