Santaland

It's been a tradition in downtown Minneapolis for almost 50 years at the store first known as Dayton's, then Marshall Field's, and now Macy's, that the 8th Floor Auditorium is decorated each year with some sort of animated holiday display. Macy's website describes it perfectly: "The animated display is like a giant New York City department store window display, allowing visitors to walk through elaborately decorated scenes with every twist and turn...Now known as Macy’s Santaland, the annual “A Day in the Life of an Elf” animated theme is the story of how Santa’s elves prepare for the holiday season. Visitors walk through the elves’ bunk room, kitchen, a school, a toy factory and Santa’s mailroom, as the elves prepare for Santa’s big night."

Our wonderful neighbors invited us along with them on the 23rd to visit Santaland. We parked at the Government Center parking ramp and meandered through the skyways (6 in all, if we counted correctly) to Macy's and then headed up the escalators to the 8th floor. I think the skyways and escalators were just as much fun for the kids as the display! But once we got inside Santaland, the kids were entranced with the various scenes; there was almost too much to take in at once. It truly brought the magic of Christmas to life, and I'm so glad we went! It can be too easy at times to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season and forget to stop and enjoy some of the unique winter and holiday experiences we have available here in Minnesota.