Today was a first for us. We watched Santa arrive at Crown Center! We got there early, not knowing what the crowd and parking would be like on the Friday after Thanksgiving, which was perfect. We were able to walk around and see all the new developments around Crown Center. So much has happened in the week since I was there. Let's take a peek!
The EBT Santa's Countdown to Christmas is up and running, and as of today, there are 28 days until Christmas! This laughing Santa is a long time holiday tradition. The history behind this display is so cool! He originally graced the window of Emery, Bird, Thayer (EBT) department store in downtown Kansas City in the early 1900s. After their doors closed in the 1960s, Santa sat in a lumberyard, with antique dealers, and finally with the late Jerry Smith. Smith was a well known KC toy collector and philanthropist who sold the piece to Crown Center in 1979. Fun Fact: Santa laughs 267,840 times per holiday season, which adds up to roughly eight times a minute! Whenever you come down, check out how many days are left until Christmas!
We headed outside to checkout the Mayor's Christmas tree and the large wooden toys underneath. They are finally in their place and McKinley took advantage of the early morning play time! He immediately ran to the firetruck, his all time favorite, and within minutes he was putting out fires all over the city. From there it was one toy after the other! We took the Crown Center Holiday Express to Florida, someplace definitely warmer than this chilly morning, and then the orange Jeep to our "hotel". This will definitely be our first of many make believe trips throughout the holiday season!
We made our way back across the street to take our place along the sidewalk to wait for Santa. We were joined by over 100 others, with some taking in the view from inside The Link to stay warm, all anticipating his arrival! And like clockwork, as 10:00 approached, Santa arrived on a horse-drawn carriage and invited everyone to follow him to Santa's Gingerbread Station where he will reside from now until December 24th at 5:00 pm. See the schedule below to add your visit to your holiday must-dos! Want to see Santa's arrival? Head over to my
Instagram page to watch the video!
If you don't have any plans for this evening, head on down for the lighting of the tree! And if you can't that's okay, I've got you covered! Find it all on Instagram!
XO,
Andrea
*This is a sponsored post by Crown Center. All opinions and photos are my own.
No Comments Yet, Leave Yours!