If there’s one thing that can be relied on during the Christmas season, it’s that Westfield London will launch it in a big way. 2012 hasn’t disappointed: the center brought Taylor Swift out for light switch-on.

By all reports, the place was packed: over 10,000 shoppers showed up to celebrate. Once Taylor was introduced on-stage by Capital radio presenter Rich Clarke, she was joined by Young Ambassadors from Save the Children, the center’s charity partner for the season. They helped lead the countdown, and then the Christmas season officially began with an explosion of snow, confetti and pyrotechnic lasers.

With the evening fully underway, Swift performed three songs: “We Are Never Getting Back Together,” “Love Story,” and her newest hit “Red.”

“The lights switch-on event is always special occasion and this year was no exception. Our shoppers were delighted to have the opportunity to see a global super-star perform for free in the centre and fans showed up in their masses to support both Taylor Swift and Westfield,” said Myf Ryan, Westfield’s General Manager, Marketing UK.

“Having Taylor switch on the 2012 Christmas lights was a great start to a series of festive activities, including lots of fundraising intitiatives for Save the Children, we will be holding across both Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City in the run-up to Christmas.”

Dalton Park is almost ready to unveil the Christmas season, but it needs a little help from shoppers.

This Saturday marks the start of the holiday for the center, and it begins with the arrival of Santa. He and his team of real reindeer with touch in early in the day, and then he’ll parade through the center to meet all the good little girls and boys. Afterward, they’ll be able to visit the reindeer in their pen while Santa settles into his grotto.

As the afternoon progresses, the center will put its tree-lighting plans into action. Here’s where shoppers will need to kick in: the special Christmas tree is decorated with LED baubles and powered by a walkway that picks up energy from shoppers’ footsteps. They’ll need to take some festive footsteps to ‘Spark-the-Park’ and generate enough power to light the tree, officially launching Dalton Park’s Christmas.

After the lights are switched on, the big day wraps up with a fabulous firework finale.

It still feels a little wild, but we’re practically moments away from the start of the Christmas season. How are you guys doing with it? Feeling prepared?

Westfield San Francisco is putting the finishing touches on its big plans, and they’re looking good. It’s kicking things off with its second annual 3D holiday light spectacular, Illuminique Under the Dome.

Illuminique Under the Dome takes shoppers into the magical world of a 19th century toymaker’s workshop. The center’s 1908 glass dome is transformed with projection mapping tech, bringing sugar plum fairies and gingerbread men dancing to life under the dome.

To make the opening day experience extra magical for everyone involved, children in attendance have the chance to take to the stage on their tippy-toes with San Francisco Ballet.

The center has partnered with the arts organization to bring Nutcracker Snowflakes in to teach the little ones dance steps so they too can sparkle on stage.

“Westfield San Francisco Centre has a long tradition as the city’s most entertaining, exciting and festive place to shop and celebrate the holidays,” said Shelly Schembre, the center’s general manager. “We’re thrilled that San Francisco Ballet will participate in our light spectacular premiere.”

That isn’t the end of the Snowflakes’ participation. They’ll also give out commemorative tutus to the first 100 children at the premiere, and visit throughout the holidays to meet with shoppers and aspiring ballerinas, take photos with them, sign autographs, and offer unique holiday merchandise to boot.

Here’s a fun world record attempt that’s just perfect for the holidays. This weekend Dalton Park Shopping Centre is getting shoppers together for its Crackathon.

We’re not sure about that name, but the event’s heart is in the exact right place. The record attempt is for the most people simultaneously pulling Christmas crackers, and Dalton Park hopes to have the biggest cracker pull ever. With luck and help from Real Radio, it will get together 1500 people organized into pulling groups.

As the groups gather, Dalton Park will collect donations for Hope4Kidz, a non-profit that supports the well-being of youngsters who require various degrees of extra care, whether they are suffering from a physical or mental disability, living with a serious or prolonged illness, or need respite from poverty or abuse.

At 6 p.m. the Crackathon countdown will begin, culminating in a great big crack. With that cathartic event under their belts, shoppers will get to enjoy Santa’s big Christmas light switch on and a fantastic fireworks show. The shopping center will also stay open a bit later than usual for festive shoppers to enjoy their holiday shopping.

Cheshire Oaks had a great start to its holidays with record-breaking attendance at its tree lighting event.

The outlet center brought in The Wanted, a number 1 charting boy band, to hit the switch on its holiday season. With help from performances by Eliza Doolittle, X-Factor’s Diva Fever and Belle Amie, Wonderland and Same Difference, the boys brought in over 25,000 spectators.

The Wanted were the headline act of the evening, and they performed several of their hits before lighting the center’s tree, which it touts as the largest in Britain. It stands at 90 feet tall and is decorated with 100,000 lights and 80,000 baubles.

The turnout beat Cheshire Oaks own records, and exceeded last year’s attendance by almost 10,000.