Tired of long lineups at the mall? Skype with Santa instead -
You could say the Eaton family brought Santa Claus to Toronto.
Since Dec. 2, 1905, when the world’s most famous fat man with a white beard and red suit emerged from Union Station and walked with the Eaton family to Canada’s fastest-growing department store at Yonge and Queen Sts., Santa has been synonymous with the name Eaton. At least in ho-ho-Hogtown.
That first one-man “Eaton Santa Claus Parade’’ later evolved into an annual parade that became one of the largest in the world and was sponsored by the department store up to 1981. The next year it continued (and endures today) through the efforts and funds of 20 corporate sponsors.
But in the early years following the parade, the Eaton Santa would hold court at Massey Hall, where parents and children could get a closer look at the jolly gent. In 1916, after the parade was over, Santa appeared in “Toyland,’’ created at Eaton’s, where he continued to return every year for decades.
But while Christmas may be eternal, the world of retail is not. Eaton’s closed in 1999 and the Eaton Centre, now a Cadillac Fairview property, retains the name of its predecessor but has no connection with the Eaton family.
And as for Santa, well, these days when you go into the Eaton Centre, you won’t actually see him. Unless you go to the 24th floor where the new Santa Experience takes place. Parents can preregister their children for a free interactive one-hour morning session on weekends, in which Santa reads stories to children. At the end, parents can take their own photos of their children with Santa.
Or they can opt for cyber Santa — a 10-minute Skype visit with the jolly old elf between 6 and 8 p.m. weekdays until Dec. 23. There’s no cost and the Skype session can be booked through guest services (416-598-8560).
Although you don’t get the tactile experience of sitting on the big guy’s knee and telling him face to face what you want for Christmas, there is an advantage: no lineups, and you can talk while sitting in your pyjamas.
Read more -
http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/activities/pc-festive/article/1094561--santa-s-not-just-a-lap-and-a-ho-ho-ho-anymore
You could say the Eaton family brought Santa Claus to Toronto.
Since Dec. 2, 1905, when the world’s most famous fat man with a white beard and red suit emerged from Union Station and walked with the Eaton family to Canada’s fastest-growing department store at Yonge and Queen Sts., Santa has been synonymous with the name Eaton. At least in ho-ho-Hogtown.
That first one-man “Eaton Santa Claus Parade’’ later evolved into an annual parade that became one of the largest in the world and was sponsored by the department store up to 1981. The next year it continued (and endures today) through the efforts and funds of 20 corporate sponsors.
But in the early years following the parade, the Eaton Santa would hold court at Massey Hall, where parents and children could get a closer look at the jolly gent. In 1916, after the parade was over, Santa appeared in “Toyland,’’ created at Eaton’s, where he continued to return every year for decades.
But while Christmas may be eternal, the world of retail is not. Eaton’s closed in 1999 and the Eaton Centre, now a Cadillac Fairview property, retains the name of its predecessor but has no connection with the Eaton family.
And as for Santa, well, these days when you go into the Eaton Centre, you won’t actually see him. Unless you go to the 24th floor where the new Santa Experience takes place. Parents can preregister their children for a free interactive one-hour morning session on weekends, in which Santa reads stories to children. At the end, parents can take their own photos of their children with Santa.
Or they can opt for cyber Santa — a 10-minute Skype visit with the jolly old elf between 6 and 8 p.m. weekdays until Dec. 23. There’s no cost and the Skype session can be booked through guest services (416-598-8560).
Although you don’t get the tactile experience of sitting on the big guy’s knee and telling him face to face what you want for Christmas, there is an advantage: no lineups, and you can talk while sitting in your pyjamas.
Read more -
http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/activities/pc-festive/article/1094561--santa-s-not-just-a-lap-and-a-ho-ho-ho-anymore
No comments:
Post a Comment