Where To See Santa In The Wilmington Area

WILMINGTON, MA — Santa Claus will be back in the Wilmington area this holiday season after a couple of years of COVID-19 restrictions that made it difficult for kids to crawl up on his lap and make their case that they've been good boys and girls over the last year.

Visits and pictures with Santa are at the heart of many families' holiday traditions, but the coronavirus pandemic gave them a lump of coal. Malls and other places took social distancing measures in both 2020 and 2021 to help contain the spread of the virus, moving Santa meet-ups largely online.

Virtual visits are still an option in many places, but there's nothing quite like seeing jolly old St. Nick live and in person. In the Wilmington area, kids have several chances:

• On Saturday, Santa and Mrs. Claus are scheduled to make two stops in Wilmington. From 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., they will be at Shawsheen Elementary School, 298 Shawsheen Ave., and from 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m., they will be at North Intermediate School, 320 Salem St.

• On Saturday, Santa is scheduled to visit the Wilmington Festival of Trees from 5 pm. to 9 p.m. The event takes place through Sunday in the Lower Hall of St. Dorothy Church, 11 Harnden St.

• On Sunday, The Wilmington Santa Parade will take place from 9 a.m. until about 3:30 p.m. all over town. A map of the parade route is available on the Santa Parade website.

• Through Dec. 24, Santa will appear daily at the Burlington Mall in Burlington, located at 75 Middlesex Turnpike. Santa will be on the Lower Level Macy's Court from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Families have an opportunity to prepare for their Santa meeting by reserving a time slot online. Photo packages will be available for purchase following the Santa experience.

From 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. this Sunday, Autism Speaks is partnering with Cherry Hill Programs to provide sensory-friendly Santa Experiences at Burlington Mall.

• On Saturday, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be at the Billerica Winter Festival & Tree Lighting. There will be free cookies and cocoa.

The tree lighting ceremony will take place on the Common at 4:25 p.m. Santa and friends are scheduled to arrive at approximately 5:15 p.m.

• Saturday is the annual Santa's Wakefield Tour in Wakefield. The event will begin at 11 a.m. near Wakefield Memorial High School, 60 Farm St. A map of the route is available on social media

• On Dec. 10, families can take pictures with Santa at the Billerica Senior Center in Billerica, located at 25 Concord Rd. Santa will be there from 10 am. to 2 p.m. and no appointment is necessary. Attendees must be in line no later than 2 p.m. to get a photo.

The event is free, though just one taken/printed picture is allowed per family.