Mall to Kids: Meet Santa This Christmas -- for $35

The commercialization of Christmas just rose to a whole new level.

The owners of the Cherry Hill Mall have announced plans to charge $35 and $50 for kids to meet jolly St. Nick.

The mall, owned by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT), is charging just that for packages that include photos and/or a video. No child can sit in Santa’s lap unless their parents first select a package.

It’s for the mall’s “Adventure to Santa” display, which is set up in the center of the mall. Santa is completely concealed in the castle, and can’t be seen from the outside.

The decision is drawing the ire of residents on Facebook.

“BOYCOTT this mall & the company that owns it Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust. $35 to $50 for the little ones to see Santa . bah humbug The company’s stock is falling fast!!,” Dave Kanzler wrote in a post on the Cherry Hill Mall’s Facebook page.

“Absolutely disappointed in you, Cherry Hill Mall,” Alison Potter Bramhall wrote. “I went to The Dreamworks Santa attraction last year and loved it, and yes, I purchased an expensive photo package at the end. But this year you are effectively telling less fortunate children that Santa doesn’t want to see them unless their parents can pay. Disgusting! I don’t care that it’s an “attraction”. To the kids, it’s just Santa, and he’s rejecting them. I will NOT be visiting any mall that is mercenary enough to break the hearts of less fortunate children at Christmas time. You have lost all my future business. As you kindly pointed out, you are not the only mall in the area.

“It’s awful enough that the Cherry Hill Mall is charging $35 for kids to sit on Santa’s lap, but the fact that they have Santa locked up and completely out of view from shoppers is even more Scrooge-like,” Daniel Kochanowicz wrote. “One of the perks of Christmas shopping in a mall is catching a glimpse of Santa on his throne, holding a kid or two in his lap and trying to stay jolly no matter what time of day or how loud or wet the kiddies. The only thing Cherry Hill Mall shoppers can gaze at it is the flat exteriors of this charmless pre-fab commercialized Shrek castle (what the heck does Shrek have to do with Christmas, anyway?) Bah, Cherry Hill Mall!”

“Scrooges - Charging To See Santa Claus? What Next, The Grinch Instead???,” wrote Jim Granelli.

“I have no problem with them having it and I’m sure it is great. But it shouldn’t be tied to Santa. My point, and I am sure the point of many others posting, is families who can’t afford it shouldn’t have their children left out of seeing Santa,” Karen Wilson wrote.

Some supported the mall.

“We did the dream works today and it was an awesome experience for my family we loved it despite what people are saying we recommend it,” Cyndi Freitag wrote.

“Adventure to Santa was the best! You get a lot of pictures for the price, and the entire experience is the best! Everyone working there was great especially Patricia and Jesse! This is going to be our family tradition!!!” Becky Wall wrote.

PREIT offers scaled down versions of the adventure at its other malls, including the Moorestown Mall, with prices for a package ranging from $19.99 to $50, but they can have their picture taken with Santa for free.

That isn’t the case at the Cherry Hill Mall. However, the mall is offering two days in which children can have snacks with Santa for free, and a free day for special needs kids to meet Santa, according to philly.com.

The “adventure” features characters from Disney’s “Shrek” and lasts between 15 and 20 minutes, according to the report.

Representatives from the mall and PREIT didn’t return messages seeking comment left by Patch on Monday.

To register online for “Adventure to Santa” at the Cherry Hill Mall, visit dreamplaceexperience.com.