Santa Comes To Malden, Melrose Pine Banks Park In December

MALDEN, MA — Santa Claus will come to the Malden/Melrose area later this month for a new visit in a more than 70-year tradition of visits to the area, officials announced last week.

This year’s event is set for Saturday, Dec. 17 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Pine Banks Park. Santa will be in town for a 73rd year.

Santa will pose for photos and hear Christmas wishes at the park, which includes parts of Melrose and Malden.

Malden city officials will help decorate the park with lights ahead of Santa’s visit. Malden City Councillor Barbara Murphy will seperately work with other helpers from Malden’s Ward 5 to serve hot chocolate and cookies for guests.

“Don’t miss your chance to let Santa know if you’ve been naughty or nice!” city officials said last week.

Malden continued its celebrations of the holiday season this past weekend with a holiday lighting at Lincoln Commons.

Melrose ran its its own celebration over the weekend as it brought back its city-wide Home for the Holidays program for another year.

Various holiday community drives are also ongoing, including a toy drive by the Malden police and fire department, the annual Merry Malden toy drive and a diaper drive in Melrose, among others.