WEST PARK MALL ALL DECKED OUT FOR CHRISTMAS

West Park Mall is decked out for Christmas, and Santa arrives to kick off the holiday season Saturday.

A 24-foot Christmas tree with more than 3,000 lights is featured in the middle of center court.

Santa will be in front of the tree, available for photographs and to talk with youngsters.

Santa is arriving Saturday at 9:30 a.m. by "magic," said Karie Hall, assistant center manager and marketing director. "Bill Coomer is doing a magic show and then Santa will arrive," she said.

In addition to a new holiday decorating theme, West Park Mall is also sponsoring a new holiday giving program. The mall has been a longtime supporter of Toybox, a program of the Cape Girardeau Jaycees and Southeast Missourian to provide toys to needy children.

This year the mall is sponsoring a special project to give shoppers an opportunity to help the Toybox effort. "We decided we would like do something that means something and helps someone," Hall said.

The mall is offering a special Christmas T-shirt featuring the mall's popular talking teddy bear.

Shoppers who collect $100 in receipts from any combination of West Park Mall stores may purchase the long-sleeved shirts for $7 each. That $7 will be donated to Toybox.

Shirts will be available at the mall's customer service booth in the JCPenney wing and may be purchased through Dec. 15.

"People will receive a really nice T-shirt and at the same time help some child have a really nice Christmas," Hall said.

The holiday decorations follow a mystic, castle-like theme, said Hall.

"The decorations we have are a combination of new and old," said Hall. "We still have our historical Santa's from last year."

She said the Santa's, life-size figurines which depict images of Santa from different times and cultures, were popular last year.

"We were scheduled to get new Christmas decor this year," said Hall. "But when the designers came down and saw how popular the Santas were, they asked if we would like to incorporate them into the new decor package."

In center court all the Santa's are positioned on platforms that rotate. A storybook explaining each of the figures is displayed. The Santas are surrounded with trees and gift boxes.

Also returning this year is Talking Teddy. "Talking Teddy is so popular we decided he had to stay," Hall said. This year the bear will don a Santa suit.

The list price for the new decorations is $90,000, Hall said. The mall received a discount from the designer on the items.

"It has taken us about 10 weeks to get it all put together," Hall said.

"I would estimate we have more than 10,000 little white lights. I know we have over 400 poinsettias at center court. It's all very sparkly," she said. "Each of the entranceways have big castle turrets with lighted arches."

Decorations of purple, red and gold colors are throughout the mall. "We have added those colors to our overhead jingle bells and the lighted garland at each entrance."