Christmas at The Palms never looked, or sounded, so good!

As the days get longer and the olfactory scent of pine trees start permeating the air, Christmas is evidently around the corner. This holiday season, The Palms will be home to numerous festive activities that promise to spread some cheer throughout the community.

This December, shoppers can support their local schools by simply having their gifts wrapped. Schools such as Tamariki School, Parkview School and Marian College will be manning Christmas wrapping stations at the centre and wrapping gifts of all shapes and sizes in exchange for a small donation. All donations received will go directly to the schools involved.

Santa Claus makes his 2013 appearance at The Palms on Saturday 23 November, 2013. From there, the man in red, along with his entourage of elves, will be stationed in the centre for family photos and visits until Christmas Eve.

Christchurch City Chorus will also be regular in-centre fixtures in the lead up to Christmas, from Saturday 23 November to Monday 23 December. With an impressive resume, and previous performance experience in Carnegie Hall in New York, the Christchurch City Chorus will have Cantabrians caroling right up until Christmas Eve. The popular Salvation Army band will also be on hand in the centre over the Christmas period.

December 5 marks The Palms’ annually anticipated 12 hours of Christmas event. Over the course of the centre’s opening hours, from 9:00am – 9:00pm, The Palms will be providing discounts and hourly prize giveaways to shoppers, making this a day to potentially bag some bargains while doing the Christmas shopping.

The Palms’ Centre Manager Simon Carter says a Canterbury Christmas is one not to be beaten and is looking forward to the bumper festive offering at the centre this year.

“We’ve got a lot going on, so there are ample opportunities for the community to entertain the family, support worthy local causes or walk away with a little something extra. It will be great to see the community congregate hear the centre at a time when they can down tools and reflect on the year that’s been.”

The Palms’ operating hours will be extended in the week leading up to Christmas. The centre will be open 9:00am – 10:00pm during the week of Monday 16 December, 2013 to Monday 23 December, 2013. The centre will be closed on Christmas Day and will operate regular trading hours on all other days, with late nights recommencing on Thursday January 9th 2014.