It’s time for tree trimming, gift giving, caroling, and taking stock of what the last year has brought into our lives. There are as many different ways of celebrating the holidays as there are families, but I would suggest that one place should hold a special spot in your holiday routines: your local shopping centre. Don’t let your inner Scrooge sneer at the idea, think about it, no matter what you may think (or not think) about shopping malls, they are simply an unbeatable place to be this time of year.
The Sights
Shopping malls do decorations in a spectacular manner. Management spends a great deal of time and effort creating a festive environment designed to put you in a good mood, and it works. Even better, is that like snowflakes, no two centres are decorated exactly the same, so maybe you should visit more than one.
The Sounds
Have you misplaced your holiday music? Forgot that you ditched the CD player, but all your music is on CDs? No worries. Head to your local shopping centre where you are guaranteed they will be playing holiday tunes, there may be live performances, and you can peruse different new technologies you may want to purchase to play your music on this season.
The Taste
Food and beverage have become a critical point in modern shopping malls. No longer will you find a limited selection of fast food. Today’s shopping centre is providing higher end options as food halls pop up around the globe. The holidays bring that out even more with pop up stands offering specialty beverages, chocolates and all the delights we allow ourselves this time of year.
The Comradery
The holidays are notorious for making people feel lonely, but there is one place where you certainly won’t be alone: your local mall. Everyone is out in a gift-giving mood, and ready to enjoy a good time. If you like to be part of something whether it’s the entertainment, a shopping rush for the same item, or the general festive spirit, the mall is a great place to visit.
The Entertainment
Today’s shopping centres are becoming destinations, not just places to buy a new sweater or a trinket for mom. This means there is a serious increase in entertainment offerings and no time of year is this more evident than during the holidays. So, when the kids are home on school break, consider an outing to your local mall where there are numerous ways to keep them entertained.
New Ideas
Is your holiday routing getting stale? Do you want to freshen up the decorations in your house, but aren’t sure where to start? Head to your local shopping centre. Each store in addition to the mall itself will be decked out for the holidays. You will get myriad ideas and be able to not only picture what you would like to be able to see in your home, but actually buy the items and head out.
Up Your Gift Giving Game
Sure, you could surf the Internet and order gifts from your living room, but you cannot be sure of the result. Colors, textures, and certainly tastes can’t be gathered through a mouse and a screen. So, if you want to get that special someone the right gift, it’s important to touch and see it. There is no better place to do this than your local mall. It provides the chance to peruse a million options and really know what you are getting. Plus, as mentioned above, you may get ideas you wouldn’t have thought of on your own. So, if you want to make sure your gift-giving is on point, the mall is the place to be.
The Weather
People all over the world talk about Christmas markets, but the dirty little secret of those is you could be blasted with cold rain, snow, or other very unpleasant elements. You can get the same festive atmosphere but in a gorgeous climate-controlled environment at your local mall. Furthermore, if your holiday to-do list includes groceries, clothes, presents, etc. running from store to store can be a nightmare in bad weather and traffic. All the decorations, music, food with even more gift-giving options are under one roof with none of the cold, mud, rain, and traffic are as close as your local mall.
The Variety
The very nature of shopping centres means there is a little something for everyone. You don’t need to worry that the teens are going to complain as you drag them from store to store to finish your holiday list. Everyone in the family can split up and do their own shopping then meet in the middle for a bite to eat or a holiday performance. Plus, if you head to a mall that is grocery-anchored, you can literally get all your errands done at once giving you extra time to relax and enjoy the holiday season.
The Holiday Spirit
The sights, the sounds, the tastes, the entertainment, the people, all of the things previously mentioned mingle together under one roof at a shopping centre to create that X-factor we call the holiday spirit. So if you feel like you are having trouble switching gears and getting into the swing of things this holiday, try heading to the local mall, grab a cup of cocoa, listen to the music, soak in the decorations, and see if there is a little something you could get to make your loved ones smile.
Hadley Dean is CEO of EPP, Poland’s largest owner of shopping centres.
