Holidays behind glass — Orange County shopping centers find creative ways for kids to visit with Santa
Santa Claus at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa Saturday visits with children from inside a display case. The move is a creative way to keep a time-honored tradition going during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials say.
(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)
Costa Mesa’s South Coast Plaza opened at 11 a.m. Saturday, the start of the last weekend before Christmas, but by then a long line of distanced visitors had already queued up outside the Crate & Barrel store.
They weren’t there for Tiffany & Co. or for Louis Vuitton but for a sweet, nostalgic taste of Christmas that almost seemed impossible given this year’s pandemic — a visit with Santa Claus.