people tell us they make this a tradition and employees welcome we spoke to mall manager jack toscano this afternoon, he says there was a steady stream of customers all day. he says people who shop last minute know what they want to get, for many it's picking up several gift cards. and there are plenty of sales going on from electronics to clothing to outdoor gear. another draw today was santa claus, many families stopped by to take pictures including one couple who got a -- >> i've never taken a picture like this before, i was kind of embarrassed. but then he was like will you marry me and got on his knee and i said yes, of course. reporter: again, the mall has closed for the day here in manchester, it will reopen saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. kristen carosa, wmur news 9. josh: thank you very much. so changes are coming for texter the police department. the department the chief says it's time for him to retire. but one donation found in the salvation army red kettle in nashua could be worth thousands of dollars. kevin: the milder air we've had out there isn't going to last all winter

kristen: mall manager jack toscano says sales have been strong this holiday season with a steady stream of customers on the last day before christmas. >> a lot of times it' s tradition, they come out here on christmas eve to get their gifts and they do it all in one day. the national retail federation says the holiday season is the biggest time of year for retailers. this year the organization says sales will increase 3.7% equaling more than $630 billion. >> i picked up some last minute yesterday we did some last minute shopping and we are probably going to go somewhere else to do some more shopping. kristen: octavious smith says he always waits to get his christmas gifts and he has a reason. >> you get the best deals at the last minute, most stores have 60, 40, 50, a lot of percentages off. kristen: but it wasn' t just the sales that brought people out. >> i just went and saw santa and my dad is getting two pictures. kristen: many families stopped by to take pictures, including one couple who got engaged right on santa' s lap. >> he was like hey, i never took s go take one. embarrassed