Santa Claus has started setting up for Christmas at Galleria Dallas. He will start seeing kids Friday, but Galleria had to make changes because of the pandemic.
This year, reservations will be required to keep track of capacity limits. People can sign up at https://amusemattebooksanta.com/galleria-dallas/.
"The reservations are definitely important to be able to maintain the social distance and just the numbers of people who are here at any given time," says Galleria Dallas' Holly Quartaro.
Kids can also upload their Christmas list.
Visits cost $35 and include a photo with Santa. Kids who visit will not sit on Santa's lap; instead, they will stand behind plexiglass in front of Santa's sleigh. A microphone is attached to the glass, so they can communicate.
Virtual visits are also available.
This year, Galleria Dallas also has an exhibit called, "Snowday 2020."
"It is quite a multi-sensory adventure. It is 11 rooms that you can walk through and experience completely touch-free," Quartaro says. "Using a wristband, you get the pictures taken directly downloaded onto your phone for you to save or share."
Quartaro says the 11 small rooms help with social distancing since each is only big enough for one family at a time. Exhibits include the outside of the Griswold house from Christmas Vacation and a meeting with an elf named, Tinsel McJingles III.
Galleria Dallas has set up its Christmas tree, which, at 95 feet, is the tallest indoor Christmas tree in the United States and taller than the tree at Rockefeller Center in New York. Most years, more people skate around the tree at Galleria than Rockefeller Center, but this year, skating is limited to one show.
"You've got the music playing, the tree's out, the spirit's still there," one shopper said Thursday morning. "We all need that right now."
For shoppers who do not feel comfortable coming into the mall, curbside pick-up is available.
Visits with Santa will continue through Christmas Eve.