The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, unaware that Shaquille O’Neal soon would be there.
The former Miami Heat star made a surprise appearance at a JCPenney photo studio in New York on Wednesday as families posed in front of a mantle, fireplace and Christmas tree backdrop for holiday portraits.
The picture on the Christmas cards they’ll soon mail to loved ones will include a holly jolly, 7-foot-1 photobomber.
“He was like, ‘Can I take a picture with y’all?’” Empress Polite said of Shaq crashing her family’s photo shoot. “Yeah!”
And O’Neal wasn’t quite finished spreading the early holiday cheer.
“He gave us a $1,000 gift card to go shopping,” Polite added.
Each of the three families that were arranged to be surprised in the studios at the time, all with children who are members of the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, were presented with JCPenney gift cards by O’Neal. Each family, under the impression they were there simply for a holiday photo shoot, wore matching Christmas pajamas for the occasion.
“The unexpected nature of that provided a tremendous surprise for our families, and the youngsters, they loved it,” said Daniel Quintero, executive director of the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. “And he’s a bigger-than-life figure, so at the end of the day, those responses are priceless.”
T’was the month before Christmas, and O’Neal was in town to host a meet-and-greet at The Mall at Bay Plaza in the Bronx to promote his new namesake cologne “Shaquille O’Neal Eau De Toilette,” which launched exclusively at JCPenney in September.
Fans lined up hours in advance outside JCPenney to get a photo with the Basketball Hall of Famer and four-time NBA champion, along with an autographed box of his new fragrance.
First in line was a longtime fan from Great Neck, New York, – who arrived at 11 a.m., six hours before the scheduled start time, to secure one of only 50 wristbands for the event.
“He’s an MVP,” he said, “and I always wanted to meet him.”
As did many others, who were unable to land a wristband but lined the store’s fragrance and jewelry sections to catch a glimpse or get a handshake as O’Neal made his entrance through the crowd.
“What’s up, New York? How you guys doing?” O’Neal said when he arrived. “I definitely did not expect a crowd this big. I appreciate you. I love you guys for coming out…Now let’s have some fun.”
The fun continued when O’Neal made his way to the store’s third-floor portrait studio. Shaq-a Claus was comin’ to town — via an escalator instead of a chimney.
Inside one of the studios, Polite and her mother and two siblings were wearing matching reindeer pajamas for what they said was their first family photo shoot. They were posing for photos when they were told a social media team was coming to the studio to get footage.
The last member of that team to walk in had to duck under the doorway to enter safely.
“It was very grand. It was just very…shocking cause he’s super tall,” Polite said, adding that her younger brother is Shaq’s biggest fan. “It just felt amazing to meet him.”
O’Neal — a native of Newark, New Jersey, and alumni of the Boys & Girls Club — then made his way down the hall to the other studios, quietly sneaking behind one family as they were smiling for the camera.
“He understands the importance of helping families during this time. ‘Tis the season, right?” Quintero said. “So, him coming out, giving of his time, his effort and resources is very important and empowers our families obviously to do better.”
And to send out Christmas cards with a photo of Shaq joining the family.
“They came out so lovely,” Polite said. “With him and without him. They’re all just beautiful.”
