No Santa at the #Toronto Eaton Centre?

Breaking News Flash Dec 8, 2011: SEARS Canada has brought Santa to the Toronto Eaton Center for 2011. "Santa is located in the Sears Store at Yonge and Dundas on the weekends to visit with children and store guests. Hooray for Sears for doing the right thing, and to give back to the customers, especially the Children. The memories of the department store Santa visit are no longer a memory thanks to Sears." Thanks for the update Jar! He is there for the entire final week leading up to Christmas and Santa is there from noon to 6pm (noon to 4pm on Christmas Eve).

The original post is as follows.

I got an email today (below, p.s. thanks for the great comments and good points) about the Eaton Centre without a Santa Claus in 2011 and I thought I would investigate the Santa Situation. I do know that there is no Santa Village or Santa Station in the mall. There used to be on the bottom floor right outside Sears, as you went down the escalators you could see the large Santa display. Later they got rid of the village and put a Santa seat near the southern food court.

Going to the Eaton Centre website it notes that you have two Santa Options, one is that you can Skype with Santa Claus: "Santa has gone Digital!!! This year, only at the Toronto Eaton Centre, your child can have a one on one Skype with Santa! By simply calling the Toronto Eaton Guest Services desk at 416-598-8560 parents can register their child for a 10 minute Skype session with Santa Monday to Friday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. From your very own home your child can have a live video or chat with Santa all the way from his workshop in the North Pole!"

Your second Santa option is the Santa Experience, which contrary to popular opinion isn't a amusement ride thruough the mall. No, this Santa Experience allows you to "give your child an experience to remember and sign up for Story time with Santa! Starting November 20th until Christmas Eve; every Saturday and Sunday mornings from 9am to 10am Children will have the opportunity to have 2 stories read by Santa at the Toronto Eaton Centre! For those who are interested, Mom or Dad can take a photo of their child with Santa Claus." MSN reports that there is room for only 100 children in each Santa Experience session.

Santa's float in the St Lawrence Market during the 2011 parade. The City of Toronto banner says "Heritage, Unity, Diversity".

While the Eaton Centre loves Christmas shoppers and sales they have decided that Santa should take a smaller role in their holiday celebrations. It is sad because Santa loves children and children love Santa. But I guess we sometimes have to expect this as we move from Christmas to 'Holidays'.

The original email follows the jump.

Hi there,

I just read about the decision by Cadillac Fairview not to have a Santa in the Eaton Centre Mall this Christmas.

How ironic, considering the beautiful decorations all around the mall that you captured in your photographs.

All the prep's are there for Santa, but now no Santa for the kids!

Eatons has been Santa Central standard since before I was a kid (pre-1950's). Now, it seems in these times, it is not cost-effective to have parents wait in line (patiently ... o g-d, sooo patiently sometimes!) when they could be out in the mall using that time for spending more $. Santa? look kids, we can get him up on the computer when we get home, no biggie, so now let's just shop and shop and shop!!!

You're the journalist and superb photographer...let's get the message out: Christmas has NOT gone absolutely retail~! Has it?!

This whole thing is so sad. I feel a tradition is slipping away, and is in danger of now being replaced completely by the big retail machine.

I know how I treasure the picture my Mom has of me on Santa's knee, and the ones I now have of my own 3 at various ages (from 0 yrs & up) doing the traditional sit on Santa's lap, (albeit sometimes crying and screaming in terror of the bearded Yule Dude), tell him your most secret of desires, and then wait in almost nail-biting anticipation for Christmas Eve to arrive - have you been good all year? etc, etc, etc....There's just something about that that is so special and magical to kids...(and parents, too!)

There were many good responses regarding the story about ditching Santa. I hope you got a chance to read them in the article today on MSN.

Just wanted to let you know, maybe you can put a voice on this for all of us who really think that ditching Santa is just SO wrong.........

Thanks,

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