Make Magical Memories at the Simon Santa Experience at Woodfield

Woodfield Mall today announced a myriad of merry activities for area families to enjoy at the mall this holiday season. Kicking off the flurry of events is Santa’s Arrival Parade at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 2. Attendees can be the first to see Santa as he parades around the mall led by the James B. Conant High School drumline ending at the Ice Palace in Grand Court, where he will greet families throughout the holidays.

Beginning Friday, Nov. 3, eager children and their families can experience the joy and magic of the holiday season with a visit to the Simon® Santa Photo Experience at Woodfield Mall. Children can whisper wishes and capture photo memories with Santa, through Sunday, Dec. 24. As Santa’s schedule varies, families planning their magical moment are encouraged to check www.shopwoodfield.com for a complete list of dates and times, or families can save time and avoid the line with Santa by Appointment! Families may reserve their magical moment with Santa online at http://simonsanta.com.

“One of the great traditions of holiday shopping at Woodfield Mall is the annual family visit to the Simon Santa Photo Experience,” said Heather Lloyd, director of marketing and business development for Woodfield Mall. “I know Santa can’t wait to greet children bringing him their holiday wishes.”

Caring Santa

Woodfield Mall provides children with special needs and their families an opportunity to enjoy this time-honored holiday tradition through a sensory-friendly Caring Santa event in partnership with Autism Speaks. Caring Santa will occur on Sunday, Nov. 19, and Sunday, Dec. 3 (8 - 10 a.m.) prior to mall opening. Guests must register in advance at www.simon.com/caringsanta. Caring Santa events have expanded from seven Simon malls in 2011, to 108 Simon malls today, reflecting the positive impact of this unique program.

Pet Photo Nights with Santa

For local pet owners who view their pet as an integral member of the family, the popular Pet Photo Nights with Santa will occur on Sunday, Nov. 12, and Sunday, Nov. 19 (6:30 - 8:30 p.m.). Pet Photo nights are hosted after regular mall closing and the set gets an extensive cleaning following the event to remove any potential risk to allergy sufferers.

Gift Wrap for a Cause

In addition to being a valuable time-saver for busy shoppers, Woodfield Mall’s holiday gift wrapping service has proven to be a major annual fundraiser for local organizations, including the Little City Foundation and Simon Youth Foundation. Beginning Black Friday weekend, and extending through Sunday, Dec. 24, shoppers can take advantage of having their gifts wrapped while knowing they are also helping local community organizations. A recipient of Woodfield Mall’s gift wrap initiative, the Little City Foundation, provides services to individuals with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout the Chicago area. Funds raised also help provide college scholarships for local, at-risk high school students through the not-for-profit Simon Youth Foundation. For gift wrap hours, visit www.shopwoodfield.com.

22nd Annual Good Neighbor Radiothon

An annual tradition that continues for this holiday season, the 22nd Annual Good Neighbor Radiothon will take place at Woodfield Mall on Friday, Dec. 8, to benefit the Salvation Army’s Bed & Bread Club, a monthly giving program made up of generous people who have decided to take on hunger and homelessness in their community.

Kids Holiday Celebration with Santa

On Saturday, Dec. 9, kids and parents are invited to celebrate the season and spread holiday cheer by partaking in festive, holiday arts and crafts as well as interactive activities.

More about the Simon Santa Photo Experience

Guests to every Simon Santa Photo Experience will have an opportunity to share Santa’s heart by making a donation via The Cherry Hill Programs to Save the Children. For nearly 100 years, this non-profit has given underserved children in the U.S. a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. Since this program began five years ago, Cherry Hill Programs has collected over $1,000,000 largely due to the generosity of Simon shoppers.

The Simon Santa Photo Experience is sponsored by GYMBOREE GROUP. The GYMBOREE GROUP is a specialty retailer operating stores selling high-quality apparel and accessories for children under the Gymboree, Gymboree Outlet, Janie and Jack, and Crazy 8 brands.

The 2017 Simon Santa Photo Experience is also sponsored by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment which is celebrating the highly-anticipated release of “Despicable Me 3,” available on Digital and Digital 3D, Nov. 21, and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand, Dec. 5. Families visiting the Simon Santa Photo Experience will receive a fun-filled Despicable Me 3 activity sheet and be able to watch highlights from the movie.

Holiday Hours

For local families whose holiday bargain-hunting tradition heats up as soon as the turkey cools down, Woodfield Mall will kick off the holiday shopping season at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 23. The center will stay open for 28 straight hours, until 10 p.m., on “Black Friday,” Nov. 24.

For a complete list of extended holiday hours and special seasonal programming, www.shopwoodfield.com.

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About Woodfield Mall

Woodfield Mall, one of the largest shopping destinations in the United States, provides Chicago area residents and visitors with a distinctive collection of nearly 300 retail stores. The mega mall showcases five major anchors, including Lord & Taylor, Macy’s, Nordstrom, JCPenney and Sears, plus popular stores Altar’d State, Anthropologie, Apple, Arhaus, AIX Armani Exchange, BOSS, COACH, Columbia Sportswear, Michael Kors, lululemon, SIX:02, Timberland, Tommy Bahama, White House/Black Market, Zara, Superdry, Fabletics and Alex and Ani. Shoppers enjoy a delicious array of dining and entertainment options such as Uncle Julio's, Texas de Brazil, The Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang’s and Kinfork BBQ & Tap. Woodfield Mall, at 5 Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois, is located about 25 miles from downtown Chicago and in close proximity to O’Hare International Airport.

About Simon

Simon is a global leader in retail real estate ownership, management and development and a S&P100 company (Simon Property Group, NYSE:SPG). Our industry-leading retail properties and investments across North America, Europe and Asia provide shopping experiences for millions of consumers every day and generate billions in annual retail sales. For more information, visit simon.com.

About Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE - www.uphe.com) is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios. Universal Studios is part of NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.