’Twas a month and a half before Christmas

ELYRIA - More than 100 children of all ages gathered Saturday afternoon to welcome Santa Claus to Midway Mall as he rode in on an Elyria fire truck.
The children then followed Santa to his special village in the mall, where he read them a story and then spent the rest of the day listening to Christmas morning wishes, posing for pictures and passing out candy canes.
Marcus Krick, 10, of Lorain, hopes to see a basketball and a PlayStation 2 basketball game under the tree come Dec. 25. Is he a basketball fan?
“Kinda,” he said. “Not really, but yeah.”
He’s more definitive about his favorite player.
“LeBron James!” he said.
His 5-year-old brother, Jordan Whyel of Elyria, asked Santa for a red Jeep he can ride. Jordan is a fan of Santa because “he gave me a candy cane. He’s looking at me!” Jordan smiled and waved one last time at Santa before heading home.
The Baker clan from Elyria, consisting of Quinton, 4, Cheyenne, 6, and Tabby, 10, were also big fans of the man in red.
“I wish he could stay home with us,” Quinton said, also wishing for a monster truck. Cheyenne wants a doll as big as she is and Tabby is hoping for Bratz dolls and new clothes.
“I like the way (Santa) comes on Christmas Eve to give us presents,” Cheyenne said.
Eight-year-old Coby DeLeon of Amherst, an avid reader, wants one thing in two forms - the “Ink Heart” book as well as the movie version. Colored pencils for drawing would also be nice. Coby likes visiting Santa Claus because of how Santa makes her feel.
“I feel like it’s really special,” she said. “It only happens once a year.”
Her 5-year-old brother, Christian DeLeon, was definitive about why he likes Santa.
“He brings me some presents!” Christian said with an eye roll. “I asked him if I can have a Hot Wheels Battle Force 5. The red one. The leader. I want the big one.”
The DeLeon children said they are positive they are Santa’s “nice” list this year - but not before looking to their mother for verification.
Santa is available for visits at the mall 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 24.