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Spirit Christmas – the newest seasonal retail concept from Egg Harbor-based Spencer Spirit Holdings Inc. – is officially open.

The Christmas-themed pop-up recently made its debut, starting with eight locations across the Northeast.

Within New Jersey, Spirit Christmas opened stores in Marlton, Brick and Woodbridge, as well as a flagship in Mays Landing.

Outside of New Jersey, the company’s plans include:

• Two locations in New York (Poughkeepsie and Bohemia)
• One in Pennsylvania (Erie)
• One in Massachusetts (Dartmouth)

Along with a vast assortment of holiday décor, apparel, inflatables, gifts and stocking stuffers, Spirit Christmas will include a range of experiential offerings. Guests will also be able to stroll through a life-sized gingerbread village, where they can mail a letter to the North Pole.

Santa Claus is coming to town

Starting the last week of November, visitors can meet Santa Claus for Christmas card photos. Sessions will run from 3-7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday and noon-6 p.m. on Sunday.

Reservations can be made online through Dec. 24. Those who book early will be able to redeem a complimentary gift, as well as two personalized messages from Santa.

For Spirit Christmas, Spencer is working with Cherry Hill Programs, an industry-leader in experiential holiday and souvenir photography.

Chris Landtroop, vice president of marketing & communications at South Jersey-headquartered Cherry Hilly Programs, said, “We’re excited to partner with Spirit Christmas to create an immersive and joyful holiday experience for families.”

“Our collaboration brings together the excitement of holiday shopping with the magic of meeting Santa, ensuring guests have unforgettable moments to treasure for years to come,” Landtroop said.

Spencer is the company behind Spirit Halloween, the go-to place for costumes, props, accessories and decorations. This year, it operated a record-breaking 1,525 stores for spooky season, making it the biggest temporary Halloween retailer in the U.S.

This isn’t the first time Spirit Christmas has popped up for the holidays.

In 1990, Spirit Halloween’s founder Joseph Marver, reportedly began extending leases into November and December to try out the retail concept. However, it eventually died out. A few years after acquiring Spirit Halloween, Spencer tested out the Spirit Christmas idea again in 2005 and 2006.

Photos:

In August, Spirit Halloween launched its flagship pop-up store in Egg Harbor. More than 2,500 people joined in on the celebration. See more of the fun >>