Christmas markets and Santa visits

[Sleepybunny]

Do you have any booked/planning to?

I've just booked to go to Frankfurt for the Christmas market there for a long weekend. Quite excited, but not sure if the DD(4) and DD(1) will be all that fussed!

any good Santas/trips you're planning? I need to get to a panto this year!

[WreckTangled]

We've booked Lapland UK again. I'm going to try and get harrods but not too fussed either way.

We're going to go to a market in Brighton, next year I want to do Edinburgh.

We're also going to see Disney on ice between Christmas and New Year.

So excited

[ILoveMyMonkey]

We booked to see santa at Kew Gardens on 23rd Dec, it looks great and can't wait DS(4) should be very excited, as am I

[WreckTangled]

Oh I looked at Kew last year! It looks so good with all the lights etc

[ILoveMyMonkey]

I hope so, someone reccommended it to us which is always a good sign.

Disney on ice should be good, I've been, donkeys years ago and it was lovely.

[WreckTangled]

We went a couple of years ago but in the October.

Argh I really want to go to Kew Gardens now! Wonder if I can persuade Dh... Is it easy to drive to if you're outside of the m25?

[ILoveMyMonkey]

We're St Albans based and it takes about an hour on a saturday morning so hoping it'll be roughly the same.

[ItchyFoot]

We're going to Chatsworth house Christmas market. Probably won't bother with santa visits till next year.

[HungryHorace]

We're doing the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Santa train on 18th December. Can't wait...the kids should love it!

[anyoldname76]

we always go our local am dram panto, its hilarious and everyone gets a good view as its only a small venue. i am unsure where to visit santa though, we went hawkstone follies a couple of years ago and that was good, last year we went our local garden centre and the toys were poundland stuff. im considering going to blithbury reindeer centre this year, i did want to go the Telford snowdome but they dont get to actually meet santa i believe

[Sleepybunny]

That all sounds good! I'm torn between local am dram panto or big one in town with known comedians.

Chatsworth house would be lovely, i think I saw the place on a documentary previously.

I need to get my diary out! I hope to get the Christmas shopping done by November, so I can just enjoy the run up this year.

[TheLesserWeevil]

Kew is easy to drive to - we went last year and had no trouble parking either (at the weekend). Was fab.

[ItchyFoot]

Yes Chatsworth is lovely and we even got to see the deer as we were leaving last year.

[Humidseptember]

i went to chatsworth one xmas years ago - nutcracker theme - twas gorgeous. Loved it.

We are doing disny on ice - xmas eve - hope its good - and peppa pig world santa visit.

Is harrods really worth it?

[HungryHorace]

Chatsworth is a bit pricey. I bet it's amazing though, but I can't justify it this year. Maybe next year.

[HollyBollyBooBoo]

It's Nutcracker theme again this year at Chatsworth. The market just gets too busy now, they need to limit the amount of people they admit, you couldn't physically get to any stalls last year and it was not enjoyable at all.

Will probably do our local Santa Train and we're seeing Disney on Ice Frozen special in November.

[WreckTangled]

Harrods isn't amazing but all the lights around London etc that go with it makes it worth it. Plus it's only £10 which you get back to spend in store

[Trumpton]

Santa train with three DGC , 6, 4 and born yesterday !!!!!!!!( little girl )

Then flight to Lapland on 19th December with the 6and 4 year old just for the day .
We looked at Lapland UK but we live offshore and by the time we factored in ferry ,petrol and two nights in an hotel( not to mention the stress off bad weather travelling ) we decided to fly direct on a special charter . It's just DH and me with the two oldest . So very excited !

But heard good reports from a friend who went to Lapland UK last year . She said it was like a well orchestrated interactive stage show and worth every penny .

[WreckTangled]

We went last year too it was great. Definitely the best thing if you can't afford the real thing

[loulalou]

Do you mind me asking how much Lapland uk is? I can't seem to find prices online.

[WreckTangled]

We paid £240 for the four of us. We're going on a Friday after school in November. Best time of day to book it is about 3pm/3:30pm as then it'll be getting dark and you'll get the most of all the lights etc

[loulalou]

WRECK thank you, it all sounds amazing

[GettingScaredNow]

Did harrods last year. Dd was 3.5 and loved it. You must be signed up to their reward card to get a slot, costs £10 but that is then refunded back to your store card to spend in store. which gives me the perfect excuse to buy their chocolate coated almonds
Ds was only 14 months and they gave him a gift bag for free.


Tell me about Lapland uk? I'm in London so it's not far from here. Do u have to stay overnight?
DC will be 4.5 and 2.3 in December this year.

[WreckTangled]

No Lapland uk lasts about 3-4 hours.

You walk through the woods and go to the big wooden cabin with the elves. You go through and listen to the story of how to get to Lapland uk. You then go and make some
Toys in the elf Worksop. Next you go and decorate gingerbread with mother Christmas and she reads a story. After that it's through to the woods where there's ice skating, shops, a restaurant, Huskies. Then you go through a whole woodland walk to see Father Christmas. It's full of fake snow and twinkly lights.

[GettingScaredNow]

Thanks wreck, sounds fun.
Prices don't appear to be up on the website yet, but I'm guessing it's quite a lot!
Sounds worth it for Dd, ds seems a bit young this year

[WreckTangled]

Last year Ds was about to turn 3. Dd was 5 and loved it, Ds enjoyed it too. We got early bird tickets. The tickets, realistically, are about £60-£110 each depending on when you go.