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<p>WILKES-BARRE TWP. &#8212; Thanksgiving is still more than a week away, but that didn&#8217;t seem to deter the throng of children that gathered at the Wyoming Valley Mall on Saturday from being in the Christmas spirit.</p><p>Of course, who could have blamed them for skipping ahead a holiday when Santa Claus was making his first appearance of the season.</p><p>The jolly old man in the red suit arrived Saturday with the mall hosting a SantaFest celebration to welcome him.</p><p>&#8220;I think it&#8217;s very good I came back to the Wyoming Valley Mall,&#8221; Santa said. &#8220;The people are very nice here, and the Wyoming Valley Mall has always treated me good too.&#8221;</p><p>Sitting in a giant red and gold sleigh filled with presents, Santa waved to children as they came over and sat on his lap, taking photos and telling him what they want for Christmas. As Santa spoke with the children, he smiled and gave out a deep &#8220;Ho ho ho!&#8221; that echoed through the center court area.</p><p>Nicole and Joe Czech, of Mountain Top, brought their son, Conner, to see Santa.</p><p>The family said that although Conner, 2, has met Santa in the past, this was their first time seeing him at the Wyoming Valley Mall. Conner&#8217;s grandmother, Fran Gryboski, held him as they waited in line, explaining that he wasn&#8217;t afraid of the jolly man in the past.</p><p>&#8220;Last year, he was giving him high fives,&#8221; she said.</p><p>After children were able to visit with Santa, they were invited to participate in multiple holiday-themed workshops. With businesses such as Auntie Anne&#8217;s and Pepsi giving out pretzels and drinks and Perfect Harmony and the F.M. Kirby Center providing activities for children, many families took advantage of the event.</p><p>On one side of the court, Perfect Harmony owner Jeremy Connor helped 4-year-old Samantha Sczyrek, of Shavertown, saw a piece of wood for a Christmas ornament.</p><p>&#8220;So many times they have coloring sheets,&#8221; Connor said. &#8220;We&#8217;re trying to give them a unique experience.&#8221;</p><p>After sawing the wooden ornament, Conner showed Sczyrek how to smooth the piece on a block of sandpaper.</p><p>Sczyrek&#8217;s father, Michael, and brother, Matthew, said they came to the mall and saw the event, deciding to participate.</p><p>&#8220;We just thought it&#8217;d be something good on a Saturday to do,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We wanted to let her do the events to get her into the Christmas spirit.&#8221;</p><p>On the other side of the court, CandyLand Facepainting was placing glitter-filled temporary tattoos on children&#8217;s arms and hands, as well as holding a craft shop where children could create miniature turkeys.</p><p>Wilkes-Barre resident Ericka Smith brought her niece and nephew to meet Santa. She said she learned of Saturday&#8217;s event from a co-worker.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve never been to this event before,&#8221; she said. &#8220;The kids are excited to meet Santa.&#8221;</p><p>Santa will be at the mall to meet children and take pictures for the rest of the holiday season, with the exception of Thanksgiving. A special pets night will also take place every Monday, where owners can have their pets take a photo with Santa as well. For more information, check the Wyoming Valley Mall&#8217;s website.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_Santafest-WVMall-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Santa&#8217;s helper Lexi Strobel, 13, applies a sparkle tattoo to three-year old Isaac Solomon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_Santafest-WVMall-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Santa&#8217;s helper Lexi Strobel, 13, applies a sparkle tattoo to three-year old Isaac Solomon. </caption0><photoCredit0>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_Santafest-WVMall-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Santa Claus was at the Wyoming Valley Mall on Saturday to greet children at the center of the mall. Tyler Ballinghoff, 3, tells Santa what he wants for Christmas with his sister Arielle, 6, looking on. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_Santafest-WVMall-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Santa Claus was at the Wyoming Valley Mall on Saturday to greet children at the center of the mall. Tyler Ballinghoff, 3, tells Santa what he wants for Christmas with his sister Arielle, 6, looking on. </caption1><photoCredit1>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_Santafest-WVMall-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jeremy Connor, of Perfect Harmony Center of the Arts, helps four-year old Samantha Sczyreke, of Shavertown, cut twine at a workshop set up at Santafest at the Wyoming Valley Mall. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_Santafest-WVMall-3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Jeremy Connor, of Perfect Harmony Center of the Arts, helps four-year old Samantha Sczyreke, of Shavertown, cut twine at a workshop set up at Santafest at the Wyoming Valley Mall. </caption2><photoCredit2>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Marcella Kester</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Santa arrives at Wyoming Valley Mall