🛍️ Missing the mall madness | Morning Newsletter

Good morning, Philly.

When’s the best time to go to the mall for your last-minute holiday shopping? We asked local mall officials how to avoid the crowds.

And Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and law enforcement officials gathered Monday to emphasize that the city’s recent spate of shootings, including the incident at Dilworth Park’s Christmas Village, are “not the norm.”

Plus, find The Inquirer’s best interactives of 2024 and more of the latest news, below.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

If you, like me, looked at the calendar and realized with horror that today is one week from Christmas Eve, then you, like me, might have some last-minute shopping to do. And this close to the holidays, gifts ordered online might not make it in time.

To the nearest mall we go. Consider these tips to have the most peaceful shopping experience possible during a busy time:

🛍️ To avoid crowds, mall officials advise checking inventory ahead of your visit, as well as going in the morning or later evening.

🛍️ More than a dozen malls in the region have extended hours this and next week, including Center City’s Fashion District and the King of Prussia Mall.

Consumer reporter Erin McCarthy has more details on how to limit the stress of in-person holiday shopping.

🛍️ P.S. The area’s holiday markets are also open for a few more days, from Cherry Street Pier to Bethlehem’s Christkindlmarkt.

🛍️ Plus: Read up on the Philly shopping trends experts are seeing this holiday season, including that millennials spend the most and men spend more on themselves.

Following a spate of shootings, Mayor Parker and law enforcement officials aim to reassure Philadelphians and visitors that the city is committed to tackling gun violence.

A deadly weekend: At least two dozen people were shot across 11 incidents over three days. Four people were killed. The violent streak began Friday afternoon at Dilworth Park’s Christmas Village, where three teen boys were injured near the busy Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Rink.

By the numbers: Gun violence overall is decreasing in the city, with a 37% drop in homicides and 36% drop in shootings this year compared to 2023. But Parker, alongside Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel and District Attorney Larry Krasner, acknowledged that more needs to be done.

Notable quote: “Where you stand now is one of the safest areas in the city of Philadelphia,” Bethel said in Dilworth Park. “We will bolster our resources here, as well as across the city, to address the episode of violence that we saw over the weekend, but I commit to you that that is not the norm.”

Reporters Ximena Conde and Rodrigo Torrejón have the latest.

What you should know today

The Inquirer’s interactives team spends their time designing fun, informative stories that invite you to play along.

This year’s slate ranged from a game that asks how far can you can make a horse run down I-95, to a video series in which centenarians offer life advice, to an explainer on how kids are being taught to read. Want to finally understand whether pro wrestling is fake, or how the I-95 cap project will reconnect Philadelphians to the Delaware waterfront? We have interactives for those, too.

Check out the team’s favorite visual stories from the past 12 months.

🧠 Trivia time

A new hotel inspired by which board game is coming to Atlantic City? (Psst, the original game was also based on the Jersey city’s streets.)

A) Parcheesi

B) Life

C) Clue

D) Monopoly

Think you know? Check your answer.

What we’re…

🏀 Asking for: A WNBA team for Philly.

🎻 Buying: $10 tickets to nine chamber music performances.

🗣️ Considering: How Philadelphia can provide more Spanish language access.

🍸 Toasting to: The new year at one of these eight Philly bars.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram

Hint: The actor and comedian born at Third and South Streets who is best known for being part of a famous trio

ARLINE FRY

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Kate Hetherington, who solved Monday’s anagram: John Legend. After campaigning for Kamala Harris and Bob Casey this fall, the University of Pennsylvania alum and EGOT winner is returning to the region with his Christmas tour.

Photo of the day

💚 One last Grinchy thing: Our review of “Mabeline: The Greenaissance Tour” has me running to get tickets. The operatic, Who-tastic, Christmas-themed drag show runs through Dec. 21 at Voyeur Nightclub.

Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer. See you back here tomorrow.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.