Westside Mommy was invited to experience Adventure to Santa at South Bay Galleria again this year. Last year, it was Shrek-themed. This year, it’s Kung Fu Panda. My friend Ai is moving back to Japan next year with her husband and daughters, so I invited her cover to this event. Unfortunately, one of her daughters was sick, so she only brought two. Below is her post (translated from Japanese to English by Aya Kimura)!
Adventure To Santa’s House
by Ai Fujii
In front of Santa’s front door
Outside of Santa’s house
The front room where we greeted by Po (A.K.A. Kung-fu Panda) and his father
We were instructed to sit in a cart and go for a ride to meet Santa
The second room where we played games on the iPad
Taking a picture with Santa!
Mai, my 5 year old, told Santa she wanted a table and chair set for her dolls. Mei, my 2 year old, told Santa she wanted an iPhone so she could call her friend, Jonna 🙂
The beautiful Christmas tree near Santa’s house
I took my 2 year-old and 5 year-old daughters to Adventure to Santa’s house in the South Bay Galleria Mall. Inside Santa’s cottage there are three rooms; in the first room, you are welcomed then instructed to “ride” a cart to go to meet Santa. While on the cart, a movie played where it indulged your senses by spritzing cool water during a snow scene; the cart shook a little when the wind howled on the screen. The girls loved it!
After the ride, we went into the second room where there are iPads to play a Santa dress-up game where you can dress him in different outfits. In the last room, we met Santa Claus and took a picture with him. After taking pictures, the girls spoke to him. They were both a little nervous to be set upon Santa’s lap, but were fine after he asked them what they wanted for Christmas. Then the girls began rattling off their wish-list to Santa.
Santa and his staff were so sincere and kind, we felt really welcome in Santa’s house. In Japan, they don’t have a Santa’s village event, so it was really a great to come here to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience and create a lasting memory.
Through a mother’s eyes, it was so wonderful to see my children meet Santa Claus for the first time. They were so excited and nervous to meet him, it was like their dream came true. My girls really enjoyed Santa’s cottage, but had the most fun meeting Santa Claus and being able to tell him what they wanted for Christmas.
We highly recommend Adventure To Santa!
[click here to read original post in Japanese]
South Bay Galleria Adventure To Santa
Adventure to Santa, a DreamWorks DreamPlace, magically combines the time-honored tradition of meeting Santa Claus with technological wizardry to deliver a very special and immersive holiday experience. This season, the all-new attraction lets you and your family join Po and Friends for interactive games and an immersive, cinematic journey that transports guests to the North Pole for your private meeting with Santa.
Santa is available Nov. 5 to Dec. 24
South Bay Galleria is located at 1815 Hawthorne Blvd., Redondo Beach, CA 90278
