Glendale Galleria offers an ‘Adventure to Santa’

This year’s Christmas display at the Glendale Galleria is much more elaborate than just taking a photo with Santa Claus.

The mall went all out and built a 2,000-square-foot holiday cottage and inside is an interactive display created by DreamWorks Animation for kids called “Adventure to Santa,” featuring the cast of the “Shrek” franchise.

Upon entering, guests can make their way through five rooms that will let young ones design their own sleighs and embark on a virtual flight to the North Pole.

“You feel the wind blow through your hair. You get misted by snow and the sleigh shakes a little bit,” said Tom Schneck with General Growth Properties, which owns the Galleria and is overseeing the marketing of the attraction, which weighs more than 50,000 pounds, the equivalent of 1,000 Christmas trees.

It has more than 15,000 lights that twinkle in sync with music, and more than 100 strobes, according to Galleria officials.

“We’ve reinvented the whole mall Santa experience,” Schneck said.

Getting through the house takes about 15 minutes and culminates with a chance to meet Santa and take photos with him as well as receive a special North Pole passport processed by his elves.

The display, which has six different light shows, is located in front of the first-floor entrance of JCPenney. It took the efforts of more than 150 people to put it together.

Reservations for the free “Adventure to Santa” can be made at https://www.glendalegalleria.com.

“Adventure to Santa” will run through Christmas Eve.