ARRIVAL Official TRAILER (Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner - Aliens Movie, 2016)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. There was no shortage of Christmas spirit on Friday night at the Staten Island Mall.
Hundreds of people crowded the mall"s center court and stood along railing overlooking the tree, anxiously awaitingSanta"s Arrival Parade.
The chorus from PS 29 in Castleton Corners, made up of children from third through fifth grades, started the evening"s festivities with a number of Christmas songs, including "O" Christmas Tree."
"I"m so happy it"s inside this year," said Martha Ramirez, 42, of Oakwood Heights, who brought her granddaughter, Joanna, 3, to see Santa and the Christmas tree.
"I don"t think they were trying to lessen the holiday last year; I didn"t really think too much into it. But it"s cold and almost everybody here has kids with them. It"s just better; it"s beautiful!" Ramirez said.
Joanna is hoping for toys from the new movie "Trolls" for Christmas, her grandmother said.
The tree, which had been a mainstay inside the Mall during the holidays, was moved outdoors in 2014 to the dismay of many shoppers. Shoppers were further outraged when Santa"s Arrival Parade was cancelled last year,which lead to a boycott from shoppers who said they were tired of the lack of holiday cheer.
Over 15,000 people joined the "Boycott the SI Mall" Facebook group pagelast year and held protests outside and throughout the mall in response to the lack of Christmas spirit.
A spokesman for the Staten Island Mall would not say whether the decision to move the tree indoors was the result of last year"s backlash or ongoing construction at the mall.
Children sat on their parents" shoulders in the crowd, while others anxiously looked down the Sears" wing, waiting for Santa and his friends to make an appearance.
The Susan E. Wagner marching band played Christmas tunes as costumed characters Elsa, Olaf, Mickey Mouse, a Minion and Spiderman made their way around the center court greeting wide-eyed, smiling children.
As Santa made his way towards the stage, excited children clapped and jumped for joy.
One on the stage, the characters, Santa Claus and Vinny Dugno, the evening"s master of ceremonies, led the crowd in a countdown from 10.
When the crowd reached one, the tree was lit from top to bottom and the red, green, silver and gold ornaments sparkled in the light as confetti rained down from the ceiling.
Source: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/11/hundreds_attend_staten_island.html
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