Greater Shepparton City Council is bringing all things merry and bright this festive season with a Winter Wonderland Christmas Hub, located in the Maude St Mall.
From December 1 to Christmas Eve, Winter Wonderland will be open Tuesday to Saturday from 10.30am to 4.30pm.
The pop-up is described as a one-stop shop for all Christmas needs, including gift wrapping and a directory of gift ideas from local businesses.
Council partnerships and marketing co-ordinator Liz Connick wanted to take the stress out of gift giving this year, in addition to encouraging community members to shop local.
“We’ve got just over 70 businesses participating in the campaign all across Greater Shepparton,” Ms Connick said.
“Local businesses will have their gift ideas on the website, as well as in the catalogue, and people can jump on the website and filter their search.
“They might be looking for a present for their 70-year-old grandmother, so they can filter by age category and female, and gift ideas will pop up.”
After selecting items, shoppers can download their shopping list and go in the draw to win the major prize of a Stephens Jewellers gift voucher.
Winter Wonderland is the gift that keeps on giving, with the space lined with Christmas trees, each containing prize tags.
If customers spend $50 or more from one of the participating businesses, they can come into the Christmas Hub, show their receipt and pick a prize tag from one of the Christmas trees.
Within the Winter Wonderland walls, visitors will also find plenty of activities for the kids and an extra special display window.
Participants can choose festive items from the dress-up box, pose like mannequins in the display window and have someone take photos from the outside looking in.
Don’t be surprised if the elves stop by, as the space operates as an ‘Elf Headquarters’.
“We’ve recruited quite a few elves to hit our streets of Greater Shepparton and spread some cheer,” Ms Connick said.
“They’ll be getting up to lots of mischief; some of it is secret, but what I can tell you is they’ll be face painting, handing out giveaways and dropping by some participating stores that are part of the campaign.”