Santa Back In Aurora For Christmas: Where To See Him

AURORA, IL — Santa Claus will be back in Aurora this holiday season after a couple of years of COVID-19 restrictions that made it difficult for kids to crawl up on his lap and make their case that they’ve been good boys and girls over the last year.

Visits and pictures with Santa are at the heart of many families’ holiday traditions, but the coronavirus pandemic gave them a lump of coal. Malls and other places took social distancing measures in both 2020 and 2021 to help contain the spread of the virus, moving Santa meet-ups largely online.

Virtual visits are still an option in many places, but there’s nothing quite like seeing jolly old St. Nick live and in person. In and near Aurora, kids have several chances:

• At Fox Valley Mall through Dec. 24
• At Prisco Community Center's Christmas pop-up event Dec. 3
• At Aurora Financial Empowerment Center's second annual Pictures with Santa event Dec. 3
• At Santa at the Gazebo in Millennium Plaza Dec. 3
• At Breakfast with Santa, taking place from 2:30-5 p.m. Dec. 3
• At Fox Valley Mall's Sensory-Friendly Santa event Dec. 4
• At Blackberry Farm's Holiday Express Dec. 8-9
• At Splashing with Santa, happening Dec. 17 at Vaughan Athletic Center
• At Pet Photos with Santa, happening from 4-7 p.m. Dec. 8 and 15 at Fox Valley Mall

For adults, SantaCon is coming to downtown Plainfield at 5 p.m. Dec. 17. Santa costumes and festive wear are encouraged at the event, where organizers are partnering with Toys for Tots to gather donations for children.

Santa arrived Nov. 12 at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Santa’s Wonderland and will hold court through Christmas Eve. Reservations are encouraged.

Santa will be at Macy’s stores in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston and Orlando. In Chicago, Santa will be at Macy's State Street, 111 N. State St., until Dec. 24. Reservations are required.

JCPenney stores, including in Joliet, Mokena and Orland Park, are offering professional portraits with Santa through Dec. 18.

Know of other places Santa will be stopping? Reach out to emily.rosca@patch.com with information, and we'll include it in the article.