Santa and Mrs. Claus recently made one of their first local appearances, officially marking the beginning of the holiday season. St. Nick and his better half were in town for the Town Center Mall’s sixth annual holiday parade, and children of all ages were in full holiday cheer mode. The Mullins family was doing some early shopping and just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
“We had no idea this was going on, and the kids were less than thrilled to come shopping. They are obviously a bit happier now,” said Andrew Mullins. The youngest of the Mullin’s clan, 6-year-old Stacey, could barely contain her enthusiasm as she fidgeted and paced nervously.
“I can’t wait to see Santa because I have been a very good girl,” she said.
There were jugglers, tricycle-riding clowns, 12-foot-tall characters on stilts, and the Boca Raton High School Band provided the musical backdrop. The Velez family knew all about Santa’s mall visit and said they make it out every year.
“The kids get so excited this time of year, and it so much fun to see their eyes light up. Just looking around the crowd, all you see are smiles and that is one of the best things about the holidays,” said Sandra Velez.