Another Christmas season has come and gone and Fingerlakes Mall was bustling with activity. Along with the many shoppers scooping up the bargains, we had Santa, entertainment, Auburn High Football players and our annual Christmas Charity Raffle held during Midnight Madness.

Before Santa left to return to the North Pole, he told us how much he enjoyed visiting with all of the good girls and boys who came to see him at Fingerlakes Mall. We#'d like to thank Lakeland Equipment for sponsoring Santa Land and Thee Amish Market for providing Santa#'s cabin home.

Santa also liked visiting with the pets that came out for Pet Photos on Saturdays near Sears. He saw many dogs, from the big ones, like the three bull mastiffs, to the tiniest dogs that Santa could hold in one hand. We even had three ferrets and two chinchillas visit Santa this year!

We#'d like to thank the members of the State AA Championship Auburn High Football Team for joining us for Maroon Madness Night during our Men#'s Night Celebration. They are such fine young gentlemen, wonderful representatives of our community. They signed countless t-shirts, hats and posters for the many fans who came out to congratulate them on a job well done.

Thanks to The Citizen, the Printery and the Auburn Maroon Sports Boosters for making that evening a success.

The Ambassadors of Joy visited us twice this year to share their music with our shoppers. We also welcomed back Skaneateles Middle School Jazz Band and Select Choir, Port Byron fifth-and sixth-grade Choir, Judah#'s Flock Dance Team and the Auburn Civic Band.

Their beautiful music certainly added to the festive atmosphere this year and we appreciate them taking time to share their talents with us.

The Catholic Daughters once again operated the Gift-Wrap Booth and many shoppers were grateful for the wonderful job they did making all of the Christmas gifts look so lovely under the tree.

Our shoppers were very generous donating money to the Salvation Army bell ringers and the Warm the Children #“Coins for Clothes#” bucket in the fountain near Sears. The Toys for Tots collection box was filled several times over with the generosity of our shoppers.

We'd like to thank all of you who donated to these very worthy causes.

There were 10 local charities who participated in our annual Christmas Charity Raffle during Midnight Madness on Dec. 22. St. Alphonsus CYO raffled a $200 lottery tree of tickets, St. Joseph School raffled an IPod, St. Mary#'s CYO raffled a Nintendo DS system, Warm the Children raffled two TMX Elmos, West Middle eighth- grade raffled a Golf Lover#'s Basket, Union Springs PTO raffled a DVD camcorder, VFW Post 1975 raffled a digital camera and printer, Throopsville Church raffled a porcelain doll and a $100 money tree, St. Francis CYO raffled a wreath with gift cards and Calvary Presbyterian Church Food Pantry raffled a $100 Wegmans gift card and gym memberships.

Along with Sight & Sound DJ, we had another successful evening of shopping, music and fun for all. Congratulations to all of the winners and thanks to everyone who supported our local charitable organizations.

The activity at Fingerlakes Mall doesn#'t slow down in January. You can spend some of your Christmas money and gift cards during Sidewalk Sales, which run Jan. 13 to 15.. Shoppers will find bargains galore on winter clearance clothing, books, DVDs, CDs, electronics, home decor and more at our many Fingerlakes Mall stores.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County once again hosts #“Produced In New York#” from 10 a.m. to 2.p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13 Students from the 4-H program create recipes with ingredients grown in New York state. The students then make those recipes at the Fingerlakes Mall on Jan. 13 and are judged by a panel of experts. This is a terrific event, and if you have never seen it, I encourage you to stop down and watch these future chefs in action.

Also on Jan. `13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. is Passport Day, sponsored by the Cayuga County Clerk's Office. This is an opportunity to process your passport on a convenient Saturday. You need to bring your birth certificate and your photo will be taken at that time as well. Now is a good time to get your passport if you don#'t have it, especially for those who plan to travel during spring break. This is our third Passport Day, and each one has been very successful, so get there early. Call the clerk#'s office at 253-1271 for more information.

The Sunburst Beauty Pageant returns to the Fingerlakes Mall on Jan. 27 at noon. The popular event accepts boys from ages infant to age three and girls from ages infant to age 27. Applications will be available at the mall customer service center and for more information, you can visit www.sunburstbeauty.com.

Prospective brides should mark Feb. 25 on their calendar for our annual Bridal Expo 2007.

You#'ll get advice from the experts on how to make your wedding day special. Any businesses that are interested in participating in Bridal Expo 2007 can call 255-1188, ext.24.

We wish everyone a very Happy New Year from Fingerlakes Mall and you can stay informed on the latest happenings at Fingerlakes Mall by visiting www.fingerlakesmall.com.

Diane La Rue is retail and community events coordinator for the Fingerlakes Mall