That jubilant frenzy throughout the mall at Christmastime felt like its own universe  — shiny tile floors, buzzing neon, holiday music bouncing off every storefront. At five years, I climbed onto Santa’s lap with a crooked little list hoping for a Rubik’s Cube, the toy every kid seemed to be twisting that year. By eight, my sister and brother were begging for Cabbage Patch, but I was all about Castle Grayskull and Skeletor — the ultimate prize in the He-Man aisle. And by ten, pretending I was “too old” but still buzzing inside, radar locked on Nintendo mountain at KB Toys, Transformers, and probably a thousand other things I was sure Santa could handle. No matter the year, Santa’s Workshop was always there by the fountain, smelling like peppermint, plastic toys, and fresh dipped corndogs drifting in from the food court.
This candle has all that, except for the corndog.