The magic of Christmas nestled in the air as Kelly's House & Home opened its Toyland and Fantasy Forest on Saturday, November 7th. Cheer and laughter came from the hundreds of children and adults that gathered around the parking lot awaiting the arrival of Santa and Snowbear.

The festivities commenced in the south west parking lot at 11:45 a.m. as parents and their kids anxiously awaited the arrival of Santa and Snowbear, Minni and Mickey Mouse, Dora, Santa's Helpers, Elmo and the rest of the gang. Kelly's gave out free balloons, Coca-Cola selfies in a booth, candy, cake and popcorn. Kids also received free face painting and the chance to jump around in a bouncy castle.

As if the excitement wasn't enough the crowd was melodically moved by the musical performance of The Aquinas Marching band, directed by Shona Knowles. The excitement grew even larger as Santa appeared like magic out of his chimney. Santa and Snowbear made their way through the parking lot. They were escorted by Kelly's Bride of the year Erin Brown, Mickey Mouse, Mrs. Clause, frozen characters and others tossing goodies to the crowd.

In the meantime, a line began to form near the Kelly's Fantasy Forest around 12:30 p.m. Parents and kids gathered to have their photos taken with Santa and Snowbear and to view Kelly's fully animated Fantasy Forest. This year the kids had a chance to also take pictures with all their favorite cartoon characters as they paraded throughout the store.

Denise Darville, Toy Department area manager at Kelly's, was kind enough to reveal just how booming the opening of Toyland was on Saturday. Customers were shopping early for great bargains, taking advantage of the Kelly's toy sale. Darville mentioned that both parents and kids were asking for items such as the Nerf-N Strike, Baby Alive Dolls, Lego Minecraft, Descendants, Bratz, Happily Ever After dolls and Razor Scooters. These were the top sellers for the holiday season.

In case you missed out on all the fun, Santa and Snowbear will be available for photos every Saturday until November 28th between the hours of 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 pm. Donations are welcomed in the Kelly's drop box as all proceeds will go to The Nazareth Center. Kelly's will match all donations up to a total of $500.00. Make sure you check out the Fantasy Forest which is open every day during store hours.

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