Queens Arcade Shopping Centre, in Cardiff, UK, is helping shoppers remember their loved ones this holiday season. The shopping center is working with George Thomas Hospice Care on “Light up a Life,” a touching charity appeal.

For a small donation, shoppers can sponsor a light on the mall’s Christmas tree. Shoppers are encouraged to remember their lost loved ones, or to honour a friend or family member that may be suffering an illness. The donation also includes a personal message in the Book of Remembrance, which will be on display in the shopping center until January. The book will then be kept at the hospice centre.

Proceeds go to the Hospice, to provide nursing care and support services for those suffering serious illness. It’s a charity initiative sure to warm many hearts this year, and for years to come.

User-generated content is big news right now. More and more, people want to contribute to the design of the products they buy, and more sites and retailers are taking advantage. Earlier this year, we showcased TGV’s user-generated T-shirts, which were a huge hit. So how are you taking advantage of the trend?

If you’re short on ideas, there are some holiday classics that fit right in. Shopping bags are a great place to put creative user designs, as are t-shirts and gift cards. Regent Arcade is on top of this – it’s selling greeting cards for charity designed by local children. But why not take it a step further? Next time your shopping center wants to redesign the now-ubiquitous environmentally friendly shopping bag, take submissions for designs and have your shoppers vote for the designs they want to buy.

How else are you making use of this trend?

Last week, Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre launched the holidays in a big way.

The Edinburgh Capitals hockey team were on hand to launch a new skating rink situated outside the shopping center. This is Ocean Terminal’s first outdoor festival, and the skating rink will certainly be a popular addition. Along with rides for the kids, the rink was free to use for the celebration, and will be open until Christmas.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a Christmas celebration without the arrival of Santa and his reindeer. Such a festive celebration is sure to inspire a bit of local consumer confidence this season.

This year, St. John’s Shopping Centre is planning for a green Christmas. But this isn’t an issue of weather, it’s about the environment.

This year, when Santa stops at St. John’s, he’ll be breaking with tradition and dressing in green. And while he’ll be visiting some malls in a helicopter, and others by sleigh, he’s coming to St. John’s by rickshaw – a very sustainable form of transportation (though is it better than his reindeer express?). Santa’s story time will tell the story of how Santa turned green to help deal with global warming.

Kids are one of the biggest drives for household sustainability, so Santa’s influence is sure to be a great start.

When the economy is looking grim, it’s important to remember that there are marketing opportunities to be had.  That’s the lesson shared by Braehead Shopping Centre in Glasgow, UK.

The shopping center is enchanting shoppers with its new promotion: the Braehead Fairy Godmother. Every day between October 30th and December 6th, she’ll be giving away a £500 gift card to one lucky shopper. That should help take the edge off a shopping trip this season.

And as if that weren’t enough, Braehead will also be giving away one very special prize: free shopping for a year. The lucky winner will receive £1000 in Braehead gift cards every month in 2009.

This promotion is sure to improve foot traffic this holiday season. It’s so cheerful and lighthearted – who could resist?