Four years ago The Mall attempted to replace a treasured HoCo holiday tradition with a new one. After thirty six years the iconic poinsettia tree in the center court fountain was replaced by a Santa on steroids exhibit dubbed Santastic.
The resulting community uproar eventually led to the departure of the mall manager and the return of the poinsettia tree the following year.
This year, Santastic got the boot. Instead of the towering Santa House and faux toy factory, replete with a Naughty or Nice meter, a much more toned down Santaland is taking form in the court adjacent to the fountain area.
When it first debuted, the Santastic display even included a snow making machine that rained fake snow down on Santa at regular intervals throughout the day. In the past couple of years this feature, arguably the coolest thing about the monstrous display, had been disabled.
The cheap thrill was gone.
The poinsettia tree on the other hand, has retained its charm.
