Item Photo By OWEN O’ROURKE
George Berry, left, wants a guitar and his brother, Anthony Berry, wants Pokemon.
By BRIDGET TURCOTTE
SAUGUS — Children were talking toys on Thursday at the Square One Mall as they waited in line to talk to the jolly man in red.
Hundreds of children have visited with the the Square One Mall Santa Claus this holiday season, said Christmas set manager Michael Newton.
“The weekends are the busiest,” he said. “This past Saturday I think we saw the most people we have all season.”
Children ranging in age from babies to teenagers waited in line for their chance to talk to Santa Claus about their most desired gifts of the year
After her parents said no to her request for both a cell phone and a puppy, 8-year-old Mia McMillan from Malden was covering all her bases Wednesday and asking Santa Claus instead.
“I already saw Santa once this year,” McMillan said. “He came to my house.”
More realistically, she said, she is asking Santa for Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, which are written by Jeff Kinney. There are 10 books in the series and two additional books including The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book and The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary.
“I’ve already read two of them and I’m already in the middle of one,” McMillan said.
Seven-year-old Anthony Berry of Revere was waiting in line to see Santa. He said he would be asking for “Pokemon stuff.” He also said he would be asking for Skylanders, which are figures that are placed on a device called the Portal of Power and “imported” as characters into a video game.
George Berry, also of Revere, said he was fan of music.
“I want an electric guitar,” he said. Berry said that, at five years old, he is already learning how to play the guitar.
Matthew, Kayla, and David Tracy of Lynnfield were also excitedly waiting to visit with Santa Claus.
“I want an iTouch (iPod Touch) and a million other things,” said 7-year-old Matthew Tracy. When asked if he had been good this year, he replied “I can’t really answer that right now.”
Kayla, who is 11, asked Santa for a new bike but said she wasn’t picky as to what kind of bike.
Ten-year-old David, who said he was a big football fan, said he wanted football cards for Christmas. The cards he is asking are of actual players, he said.
“My favorite player is Tom Brady,” he said.
Another sports fan, 11-year-old Thomas Coffey of Winthrop, said he plays ice hockey but also likes to play street hockey with his friends.
“I’m asking for a street hockey stick,” he said.
Santa Claus will be at the Square One Mall to visit with and take photos with children for one more day, Christmas Eve. The mall is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
