The movie was filmed after Christmas was long over, to avoid the busy shopping season. The length of time the decorations in the mall were left prompted local residents to wonder why they were still there. A local news program even inquired into the reason the decorations remained. Not long after, the filming of 'Christmas in Wonderland' was announced.
When the family approaches the West Edmonton Mall a situating shot shows traffic passing by the mall in the street. A cyclist is clearly seen in summer riding gear. Though care is taken to establish that there "will be no snow for Christmas", it would definitely still be far too cold in Edmonton on Christmas Eve for cycling in shorts.
After visiting Santa, Brian wants to find the hockey rink in the mall. Brian and Mary would have already passed the rink on the way from the pirate ship to see Santa, because the rink is inbetween the ship and Santa, and there is no way to get around it without seeing it.