People thronged malls in the city on the last Sunday before Christmas, brushing aside Covid-19 fears and ushering in a spirit of festivity that is typical of this time of the year.

Long queues of private cars and app cabs were seen entering City Centre in Salt Lake, South City Mall and Acropolis Mall from afternoon and the crowds swelled as the evening set in. The malls were all decked out for the occasion, with giant Christmas trees and other installations.

Babysitting fathers standing outside shops with little children unable to stay still mirrored the mood as much as hassled mall guards struggling to spray sanitisers on the hands of visitors.

Here’s what Metro saw at three malls in different corners of the city.

South City Mall

The lights and the decoration on the mall’s facade drew admiring glances from passing motorists as well as those headed for shopping. The entire ground floor has been decorated with lights and models depicting a Santa-themed fairground. Outside, there were lit-up Christmas trees.

Traffic along the mall-bound flank of Prince Anwar Shah Road from the Jadavpur crossing was slow. For every five cars moving down the road, three were seen entering the mall. By 5pm, the mall’s parking lot, which can accommodate around 2,500 cars, was nearly full.

New Town resident Suman Kandoi and her husband Pradeep were at the mall with their son Aryan, who is in preschool, on Sunday afternoon. Suman said she was well aware of the risks of being in a crowded place but she and her husband were keen on showing the Christmas decorations to their son.

“This is the time of the year when children and adults alike look forward to Santa Claus. We could not sit back home. We are all wearing masks and brought sanitisers,” said, Abir Mukerjee, a resident of Behala, who had gone to the mall to catch up with friends.

The group had an adda session at the food court before settling down for lunch at one of the restaurants in the mall.

The mall’s general manager, Deep Biswas, said that footfall was steadily increasing with every passing weekend.

On Sunday, he said, the footfall crossed 50,000. The footfall on Friday and Saturday were 20,000 and 30,000, respectively.

“We have decorated the entire mall to spread the Christmas cheer and many people are coming to have a look at them. People are taking photographs before shopping or heading for the food court or one of the restaurants in the mall,” Biswas said.

The store manager of a denim wear outlet said the number of shoppers had increased compared with last month. “Sales are picking up…. This weekend has been quite promising,” he said.

City Centre

The Salt Lake mall saw a steady crowd all afternoon and evening. While many shoppers said they were there to pick up winter wear and accessories, there were many who headed to restaurants at the mall. The food court did brisk business, too.

Suranjana Ray Chaudhuri, an undergraduate student at St Xavier’s College, caught up with friend Aindri Panja at the decked-out mall.

“We are here to buy a few jackets. We will also eat before stepping out,” said Suranjana. Sukanta Mukherjee, the mall head, said crowds had been swelling since Friday. “We have been getting a good response over the past couple of days. The crowd peaks in the evening, when all the decorations are lit up. We are expecting the tempo to sustain throughout this month,” Mukherjee said.

Acropolis

The mall’s façade and the entrances were decorated with huge red bells, which turned out to be among the most sought-after backdrops for selfies. Inside, snowmen, Santa Claus driving a sleigh and a huge Christmas tree added to the cheery ambience.

A steady stream of private cars and app cabs headed for the dropoff point and the parking lot of the Kasba mall.

Sonam Agarwal, 28, was shopping for faux jewellery and accessories. “I have come here to get some accessories like earrings and a top for New Year’s Day. My shopping is almost done, but I could not resist the temptation to come out here with my friends,” said Agarwal.

The group would have dinner at a pub in the mall before heading out.

“Sales in December are down to 74 per cent of previous December, but we expect 2021 to be as good as or even better than 2019,” said mall general manager K. Vijayan.