Caring Santa for Special Needs at Simon Malls on Sunday, Dec. 8th! | @ShopWestminster @ShopsMV #CaringSanta

Caring Santa will be at Simon Malls on Sunday, Dec 8th nationwide! Caring Santa is an opportunity for children with special needs and their families to enjoy a photo session with Santa. Extra care has been taken to support the sensory, physical and other developmental needs of children so they can enjoy this wonderful holiday tradition. The program is owned by Simon Property Group, and is implemented with input from AbilityPath.org.

Here's what's going to happen:

• They're turning off in-mall music, stopping escalators located near the Santa set, dimming the lights, and shutting down fountains during the duration of the event.
• They're eliminating queue lines through the use of a numbering system whereby guests approach the set when their number is called.
• Special activities and stories geared toward the needs of the child during the ‘wait’ period to help the child understand what activities will occur during the visit.

ORANGE COUNTY LOCATIONS:

The Shops at Mission Viejo
December 8th at 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Lower level near Nordstrom. 

Westminster MallDecember 8^th at 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Lower level in Macy’s Court.

Caring Santa is a special event dedicated to families that have children with special needs, providing a subdued environment to visit the Simon® Santa Photo Experience. The presenting sponsor for the 2013 Simon Santa Photo Experience is Microsoft retail store. ABC Family, Universal and Gymboree are associate sponsors this year.

PLEASE CHECK THIS LIST FOR PARTICIPATING MALLS AND RSVP HERE:

If you or your family are interested in visiting Caring Santa, please contact the manager at your selected mall at www.caringsanta.com.

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TWITTER CONTESTS

In addition, Westminster Mall and Brea Mall are hosting Twitter "Holiday Shopping Haul" contests this month.

Here's what the contest entails: Users are invited to tweet a photo of their favorite holiday shopping purchase or a picture of their holiday shopping bags (their “haul”) and use a hashtag (see below) as the entry method. Each week, one lucky winner will be chosen:

Starts: Monday, December 2 at 12 pm PST
Ends: Friday, December 20 at 12 pm PST
Number of prizes: 3 $50 gift cards (each at Brea and Westminster)
Dates of prize drawings: December 6, December 13 and December 20
Respective Hashtags for entry: #WestminsterHoliday and #BreaHoliday