West Allegheny to Host Gold Card Club Holiday Breakfast

Anyone in Pittsburgh will tell you that there is little
need for clever Santa-tracking websites and
customized electronic letters, because, in our town,
we know that the real Santa Claus is right here at
The Mall at Robinson.
And that’s exactly where thousands of people will
find him, some travelling great distances, until he
packs up and takes flight for his big night on
December 24.
The Mall at Robinson’s Santa Claus has been a
Pittsburgh family tradition since the Mall opened in
2001.
Just ask him to see his driver’s license and you’ll
get all the evidence you need. Santa Claus will show
his official license issued by the state of Colorado,
noting his summer address
in Fort Collins. But
through December 24, the
real proof is a matter of
the heart.
Here, Santa Claus
speaks seven languages,
including American sign,
and has a particular
fondness for children who
have special needs. Parents are willing to travel a
great distance to bring their children to him,
observing the magical rapport between Santa and the
children who visit him. “It can be as
simple as how he makes such a big deal of the
children’s new holiday clothing,” said Amy Rusnak.
“He is absolutely magical – and the only Santa we go
to see.”
Children of all ages relate to Santa Claus. “He even
gets my 15-year-old son to sit on his lap,” said Duane
Rankin. “I love him and so do my kids. It wouldn’t be
Christmas without him.”
U.S. Army Captain Dawn McCracken Bruce knew
about Santa’s magic when she asked him to help her
reunite with her sons after a long assignment in Iraq –
a moment captured by Good Morning America’s Ron
Claiborne just before Christmas in 2011.
Shema Krinsky is a true believer. As director of
marketing at The Mall, she’s perhaps one of Santa’s
closest observers. “I think about the things I’ve seen,
and the things Santa has told me about his
conversations with kids from people he sees every
year….from two days old to 102 years old,” she said.
“It’s a powerful combination of emotions that I can
only describe as…..grateful.”
Krinsky said she calls to mind the letter Virginia
O’Hanlon wrote to the New York Sun. Her father told
her: if you see it in the Sun, then it’s so.
“For all of us here at The Mall at Robinson, the
story is just the same as it was written all those years
ago. When you see him — then you’ll know — it is
so.”