Santa Spottings: Where to Catch St. Nick in Mission Viejo

So you think you're on the nice list? Here are some times and places to spot Santa Claus in Mission Viejo this year.

: Santa will arrive Nov. 27 on a fire engine at 6 p.m outside . But the party starts at 3 p.m. with a festival celebration and entertainment. You can bring unwrapped toys for children of the city's adopted Marines to enjoy at their holiday party. Santa will be there all month long to visit children and take their gift wishes. Call 949-830-7066 for more info about this free event.

: Santa loves cookies and milk, but he'll also be eating breakfast with kids at the community center in early December. It costs $5 per visit for kids 12 and younger, $7 for folks 13 and older. Here are the details:

• Dec. 2 (Friday): Dessert with Santa 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Dec. 3: Breakfast with Santa from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., then brunch from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

: From puppets to trains to snow, there are lots of fun activities planned for Santa's arrival at the lake.

• Dec. 10: Santa will arrive at 4:30 p.m. by boat, and he will accept Christmas wishes until around 8 p.m. There will also be puppets, a steam train, a 7 p.m. boat parade and for the first time this year, .

: Check the PDF files attached to this article for exact times. Santa will be at the mall most of the day, with extended hours on weekends. In November, you can catch Santa weekdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Santa takes a break from about 1 to 1:30 Monday through Saturday and again from 5 to 6. On Sunday he takes a break from about 2 to 3.

Here are two more ways to celebrate the holidays at the mall:

• Holiday Mail for Heroes: Specially designed holiday cards will be available at the Guest Services counter. Shoppers can express their appreciation to the troops and mall personnel will take care of the mailing.
• Annual giving campaign: For every Simon Candy Cane Giftcard purchased, $1 will go to the American Red Cross from the $3.95 fee.