{This post is shared with you in partnership with Metropolis at Metrotown}
It’s hard to believe that we are officially 4 weeks away from Christmas, I’m over here begging for time to slow down a little bit as my not-so-little one is growing leaps and bounds before my eyes but also super excited for all of the holiday events and activities we have worked in as family traditions. A big tradition for us, and one we try our best to knock out in November is.. you guessed it, Santa photos! We’ve been going to Metropolis at Metrotown for our Santa photos for the last 6 years, I can’t believe we already have so many Christmas’ behind us, but we’re super thankful for the memories we’ve made.
There’s a few reasons we’ve been going back to Metropolis at Metrotown over and over again, it isn’t the closest mall to us by a long shot but they continue to win us over every single year with their dazzling Winter Wonderland display and one of my favourite things – their charity involvement. Unlike other malls, Metropolis donates 100% of the Santa photo proceeds directly to the Burnaby Christmas Bureau, those are the wonderful people who make the holidays happen for families in need. From groceries, necessities and holiday gifts, every single photo you donate for is directly impacting someone’s life. That is a huge draw for our family and we usually donate a bit over and above for our photos because we know it’s going to a great cause. Recommended donation is $3 a photo and the photos are delivered digitally for you to print wherever you’d like and to share on social right away.
Santa is a busy guy around this time of year as I’m sure we all know, to avoid disappointment we highly recommend stopping by for photos outside of peak times to avoid large wait times (Click here for Santa’s hours!). Once you make it through to the registration area there are some fun interactive games to get the kids through the last stretch though. Kids also score a free candy cane + a kids size cone from Dairy Queen for their patience which makes the line standing a bit more tolerable, just in case it’s a bit busy. If you want to double up on some charity giving, make sure to bring your purchases over to the Gift Wrapping for Charity station, you get to skip wrapping and proceeds benefit the Burnaby Neighbourhood House and MS Society of BC/Yukon. You can find the stations in front of The Disney Store on the ground level and in front of Plenty on the Upper Level. The stations will be operating by donation starting November 23 to December 24.
That’s a big enough reason for me to continue getting our photos done, but I swear, each year Metropolis kicks it up a notch and brings in new and improved services that aim to make mine, and your, holiday shopping experience a bit more enjoyable all around.
Guests can now enjoy the state of the art Metropolis at Metrotown app that highlights upcoming events, gives you access to deals (and you can save them!), you’ll find around the mall, check showtimes for the theatre, read up on news and mall announcements oh, and probably the best feature ever? There’s a place to put where you parked. Funny story for you, last year a friend and I hit the mall for some serious kid free shopping time and promptly lost my car in the parkade. You can bet I’ll be making use of that feature! Oh, and let’s not forget the interactive map if you get turned around all the time like I do, want to check your gift card balance? Find a washroom? Your favourite store? This app has it all!
While I absolutely love the new app, if the app isn’t a you thing (that’s totally fine, my phone is bordering on super full over here too!) then you can STILL find all the deals online on the Metropolis at Metrotown website, so don’t miss out on those. There’s a ton more happening this holiday season to make things more smooth all around. Holiday hours anyone? Yassss!
Extended Holiday Hours: Metropolis offers extended holiday hours from December 1 straight through until Christmas Eve as follows:
o December 1 – 18: 10:00am – 9:00pm – Daily
o December 19 – 23: 10:00am – 10:00pm – Moonlight Madness (this is when you’ll find me at the mall!)
o December 24: 10:00am – 6:00pm
That all sounds pretty magical right? I wasn’t kidding when I said they were kicking it up this year. Now, instead of hunting down a customer service kiosk (though the app makes them easy to find) you can just whip out your phone and text the new Customer Service line and someone will respond within 60 seconds. I had a bit of fun testing it out and found the closest place to get a cup of coffee after Santa photos and was super impressed at how quickly they responded. You can use this service during mall hours, need help finding a store? Curious about mall hours? Need help with parking, a children’s stroller or anything else store related? Save 604-359-9111 in your phone and you’ll thank me later!
I’m counting down to Christmas and one of the things on my list for a family member is a Metropolis Gift Card! They’re redeemable at 23 Ivanhoe Cambridge shopping centres around Canada so they really are the perfect gift for that hard to shop for person in your life. The cards are redeemable throughout the mall from food, clothing, accessories and more. Want to grab one? Hit up one of the dedicated holiday gift card kiosks or grab yours online at www.metropolisatmetrotown.com.
All in all, Metropolis is our go-to all year round but we definitely spend a lot more time there during the holidays. They have so many of our favourite shops under one roof, tons of parking (no really, but I’m not sharing where I park! lol) and a great customer service team. I have a few more gifts to head back for and may sneak in a mom photo with Santa if I can catch him when it’s not busy!
Whether you’re stopping at the mall for yourself or a loved one this holiday season, make sure to take a few minutes to soak up all the holiday decor, music and vibes. I absolutely love the decorations at Metropolis and often find myself just wandering around with a cup of coffee while A is at school. There’s no shortage of things to do and see, so we hope you’ll stop by to say hi to Santa and get some of your holiday shopping out of the way early with us.
