‘Selfie Santa’ a hit with shoppers at SF’s Westfield mall

Wesley Gong has a photo taken with Santa William Hackett at Westfield San Francisco Centre. Wesley Gong has a photo taken with Santa William Hackett at Westfield San Francisco Centre. Photo: Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close ‘Selfie Santa’ a hit with shoppers at SF’s Westfield mall 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

Elizabeth Ramos Young didn’t have to stand in line so her daughter could see Santa this year — they got a free Christmas Eve photo with him under the Westfield San Francisco Centre’s inverted crystal tree. And they loved it.

Westfield eschewed the traditional Santa experience this year for a more social media-friendly version, sending Saint Nick out and about on a few select days this month and encouraging holiday shoppers like Ramos Young to come take pictures on their own phones or cameras.

If the steady stream of families and young children who rushed up to Santa at the mall on Monday are any indication, “Selfie Santa” was a hit.

“It’s much nicer, cheaper, because we don’t have to wait in like a two-hour line — that’s too much hassle for us,” said Ramos Young, a Minnesota resident who went to the mall while visiting family in the Bay Area.

Numbers suggest many other families felt similarly. William Hackett, who portrayed Santa at Westfield on Monday through the Entire Productions firm, said on a previous weekend this month he took more than 500 photos in just four hours.

“It is adapting to the times,” he said in between selfies by the inverted tree under the mall’s historic dome on Monday. “It’s a good use of technology. It brings people in. It’s inclusive. There’s no cost associated with it.”

The selfie-focused experience also gave the mall Santa more flexibility. Hackett said he tried to target gathering places such as the rotunda under the dome, but sometimes individual retailers would call and ask Santa to stop by, too.

“When you’re just seated, there’s kind of a linear process,” Hackett said. “People love being able to put their images up on social media right away ... it kind of spreads the spirit of the holidays.”

Patricia Valdes’ 3-year- old daughter, Alejandra, was another one of the eager children who took advantage of “Selfie Santa.” Valdes, who lives in Barcelona, Spain, said she prefers the new experience to the traditional version.

“This is much better,” she said. “Because you are with little kids, so if you don’t have to wait in line, it makes them more relaxed about it. And then it’s more relaxed for you also.”

J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris