Photo Galleries

(11/21/08) Customers head into Price's Chicken Coop Restaurant JOHN D. SIMMONS - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

(11/21/08) Willie Long, a firefighter with the Charlotte Fire Department, heads home after work and a stop at Price's Chicken Coop for a chicken sandwich for himself and chicken gizzards for his wife. He works on CFD Engine 16. JOHN D. SIMMONS - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com-

(11/21/08) Happiness is...licking a lollipop. Along with his classmates Tre'von Jones, a kindergartner at Cotswold Elementary enthusiastically licks a lollipop after the class, taught by Ellen Bryan, mastered the letter "L". Whenever the class achieves a new consonant they eat something that starts with that letter. JOHN D. SIMMONS - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

(11/21/08) Tongues waggle at the letter "L" as Ellen Bryan's class of kindergartners at Cotswold Elementary recite their alphabet. Each of the children got to "lick a lollipop" for achieving "L". They get to eat something that corresponds to every consonant they learn. JOHN D. SIMMONS - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

(11/21/08) Kindergarten teacher Ellen Bryan thanks student Alice Benston for the "princess crown" alice made for her. Why is she a princess? "Because queens are old," Bryan said. JOHN D. SIMMONS - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

(11/21/08) Tammy Stowe (left) brought her grandson, Julius Stowe to NorthLake Mall Friday. While four-year-old Julius didn't want to see Santa just yet he did enjoy a "snowball" fight with his "nana" in the Polar Express themed snow globe. She's from Sherrills Ford and her grandson is from Gastonia. JOHN D. SIMMONS - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

(11/21/08) Julius Stowe, 4, of Gastonia really enjoyed playing in the "boiler room" of the Polar Express themed snow globes and Santa area of NorthLake Mall. Julius came to the mall with his grandmother Tammy Stowe of Sherrills Ford. JOHN D. SIMMONS - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

(11/21/08) Reagan Orwig (on left), 5 and her little brother Spencer Orwig got a big hug from Santa at NorthLake Mall Friday afternoon. JOHN D. SIMMONS - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

(11/21/08) Santa waves to Olivia Gardner, 2 1/2 and Brooke Fornges, 4, who are on the upper level at NorthLake Mall. JOHN D. SIMMONS - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

(11/21/08) Olivia Gardner (left), 2 1/2 and Brooke Fornges, 4, look down at Santa from the upper level at NorthLake Mall. JOHN D. SIMMONS - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

(11/21/08) Scott Steindler tries to make his seven-month-old son Liam smile for a photo on Santa's lap at NorthLake Mall Friday. JOHN D. SIMMONS - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

(11/21/08) Seven-month-old Liam Steindler takes apeek at Santa while his brother Zane Steindler, 3, and sister Molly Steindler, 17 pose for a photo at NorthLake Mall Friday. Liam's parents Darla and Scott Stendler tried mightly to make the youngster smile for the photo. JOHN D. SIMMONS - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

(11/21/08) Lisa Vandiver, 32, waits to have her hair styled at T.Reid & Company in Charlotte.Why does she keep coming back to T.Reid's? "They're so friendly," she said. "It's kist a really fun, happy environment and they always do a great job." JOHN D. SIMMONS - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com