If your letter to Santa includes asking for a trip to a one-of-a-kind Christmas experience, then head to the Freehold Raceway Mall for an experience straight out of a holiday movie set.
One of the storefronts in the mall was transformed by Hollywood and Broadway set designers into Christmas House using lighting and digital technology to create festive holiday scenes.
There are a dozen different experiences such as Christmas Town (a nod to “The Nightmare Before Christmas”) where you can have your tarot card read; Tropical Christmas with Santa in summer gear, with games of Nog Pong and ring toss; A “Harry Potter” Christmas room where you can “fly” on a broom and put on an Invisibility Cloak; and The First Snow Room where you are literally covered in snow for a snowball fight (fake snow, that is).
There are lots of pretty scenes with screens, fireplaces and Christmas trees where you can snap selfies or pictures for your family’s next Christmas card – like in the room decorated with nostalgic items from “A Christmas Story,” which includes a window that frames your family portrait.
Kids may be confused by the Blockbuster set up, but parents will be taken back in time, seeing all the old VHS tapes stacked on shelves. Then you can sit in a cozy room and watch one of the holiday movies that’s playing on the big screen.
When you arrive, ask about the scavenger hunt, which has an activity for each room you walk through. There are also framed picture frames on the walls that offer more fun – like counting the number of candy canes in the room, standing in an optical illusion room for a photo, and playing Christmas movie trivia.
Don’t leave without writing your letter to Santa, or taking a selfie with an elfie.
And no experience is complete without a Christmas gift shop, too.
Christmas House is produced by the same designers who held Halloween House in the fall.
Christmas House is open select dates from November 23 through January 2, 2025, at Freehold Raceway Mall, 3710 Rte. 9, Freehold Twp. It is located downstairs from Primark at the base of the escalator. Tickets start at $24.99 for kids 3-13 and $29.99 for adults. There are VIP tickets, group passes, and party package pricing for groups of 15 or more.
To go behind the scenes of Christmas House, see our Instagram page.
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