The Big Man – Santa Claus – is back on his throne at our local shopping mall after a two year, pandemic-induced absence. It’s great to see him back.
Unlike most guys, I love going to the mall and looking around. A UK study from a few years ago said most guys get ‘fatigued’ after just 27 minutes of shopping, while women don’t reach that level of dissatisfaction for 2 hours. My Dad was a JCPenney store manager and my Mom loved to shop, so I guess I just grew up with it.
I’m fortunate to live just less than 20 miles away from the largest mall in the United States. The Mall of America, or “Mega Mall” has over 520 stores and 4.6 miles of storefronts. Just walking the mall concourses takes 90 non-stop minutes of walking. Stopping 10 minutes in each store would take a whopping 86 hours!
While the weekends can be quite busy, I tend to sneak over on weekdays or weeknights. In addition to the stores, there are 50 restaurants, a giant LEGO center, a complete indoor theme park, a luxury movie theater, comedy club, sea aquarium, golf simulators, video arcades, and an indoor, high-speed, go-kart track. I can go over there a few times in a month and not do or see the same thing twice.
Christmas is an especially great time to drop in. This past week, I went to Macy’s to pick up a few things, made a return at Nordstrom, got a free holiday hot chocolate at the CapitalOne lounge, and some Christmas characters at the LEGO store. The whole mall is lit up for the holidays with school groups singing in the big rotunda throughout the day. Very festive & fun!
How much do you like going to the mall at Christmas, or other times of the year?
Images: (c) MrFireStation.com
MrFireStation 
A mall? Ha, haven’t had a use to visit one of those in over 5+ years now.
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I can’t say I have “a use” for shopping centers. It’s all just fun / discretionary time!
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I too like shopping at a mall. I love seeing the display windows of the latest and greatest fashion trends. I am a person who doesn’t necessarily need to buy anything to be a well satisfied shopper. I also enjoy shopping with my husband, our family, friends or just going solo. As I mentioned earlier my husband likes to shop. I feel so blessed that he enjoys shopping as much as I do. In fact many years ago my then boyfriend his mother and me enjoyed many years shopping together. How fortunate I am that this has made many happy memories for me over the years! My then boyfriend, is now my husband and I enjoy reminiscing how we acquired many different things over the years especially the things we purchased the day after Christmas sales. Thanks to my wonderful husband and his mother (now my mother in law) that created all these wonderful memories!
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🌟 That sounds like a wonderful relationship. I’m sure it is!
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I hate that big South American rain forest named company, and yet I ordered every single gift there again this year! But it does save me from the torturous former annual pilgrimage to our local mall!…I only go there for the theater these days.
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I cannot remember the last time I was at a mall. When I shop it is either the internet (modern day Sears catalog), a big box store, or a shop that makes bespoke goods. This year for our Christmas display, my wife and I are going to the Reagan Museum to see their Christmas decorations.
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