A size-90 boot hung over the podium where Richard LaBarbiera, the mayor of Paramus, addressed a crowd on Tuesday night.

Who needs a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade when you've got Santa?

Not the human-sized Santa who arrived on a firetruck to greet the crowd. The other Santa. The 45-foot Santa with his left leg sticking out of a chimney, hauling a bag of treats near Nordstrom at Westfield Garden State Plaza mall.

Dubbed Big Santa, from the 1950s through the 1980s, the mall's holiday mascot served as a beacon for shoppers and drivers on routes 4 and 17. Long before Paramus had three malls, the extra large Santa -- then 51 feet tall -- signified the start of the gift-buying season each year until the mall, then an outdoor plaza, was enclosed.

"We've waited 30 years for the return of Big Santa," LaBarbiera said. "As a lifelong resident, it's something that was always near and dear to me growing up."

The new Big Santa is planted at entrance 7 near Nordstrom and Design Within Reach, just in time for Black Friday.

The Santa ceremony at New Jersey's largest mall was postponed a few days because of the snowstorm on Nov. 15, but the community, including the high school marching band, was out in full force for a Santa countdown.

As the crowd chanted down to one, spotlights were directed at the massive Christmas symbol, which is perched atop a chimney that, like the old Big Santa, reads "Merry Christmas," only this time with a hashtag: #BigSanta.

For some, it was their first brush with the gigantic fellow and his lofty wave. But Paramus resident Doreen Pappas, 48, recalled the mall's original Santa.

A view of the original Garden State Plaza Santa Claus from the parking lot. The chimney he sat on said 'Merry Christmas.' (Courtesy Bobby Cole)

"He was on the other side," she said. "He was great. He always made us think of the holidays as soon as we saw him go up."

The old Santa had a similar bag slung over his shoulder and a nearly identical pose, with his left hand waving and left foot sticking out of the chimney. The only thing missing from the new Big Santa: his pipe (a representative for Westfield Garden State Plaza says that's because the mall is smoke-free).

"This is awesome to bring him back," Pappas said.

Maria Alonso, 44, came to see Big Santa light up with her two daughters, Mia, 6, and Natalie, 12, and son Anthony, 10, who had a "Star Wars" Lego set up high on his Christmas wish list.

"I remember when I was younger coming and seeing him," she said, standing on line for cookies inside the mall, where children waited their turn for a meeting with the human-sized Santa. "Seeing him just brought back good memories."

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.