AIBU that visiting Santa is a total mission these days!

[thegreenlight]

Had a festive day out booked for 4 year old DS for a few weeks - sitting smug thinking it was all sorted. Read between the lines when checking recently and realised there is no meeting with Santa (despite it being £54 for 90 minutes ! Aghhh! Cue panicky trying to find a Santa 'late' in the day. Have booked a fab one but will be taking DS out of school for a day as all weekends are booked up (breaking up super late here this year) I am so stressed! If you don't book in October you don't stand a chance! Tell me it wasn't always thus!

I hope you enjoy your miserable cheap, non-consumerist Christmas.

And I hope you enjoy your manufactured Christmas that has had all spontaneous magic sucked out of it

No one is being ‘vile’ to your child.

They are just taking the piss out of you and your superiority complex.

HTH

This is not going to end well.......

Loving the whole competitive santa visit thing. An acquaintance got all boasty last year coz she'd taken her 1 year old to see FC at Harrods.

But OP for you really think it is reasonable to expect your 4 year old to lie to his teacher about having been ill just so he can see santa? He should be taught to respect his teacher and school and this just gives the wrong message.

YABVU in my opinion to do that.

yabu and ridiculous

I love Christmas! I get excited about it from about September. I don't buy into the whole manufactured "experience" bullshit

The most magical Santa experience I had as a child was the local rotary club who drove Santa around on some sort of milk float type thing and going out in the dark and cold in my pjs to get on his "sleigh" and meet him. I think they asked for a small donation I'm not sure.

Did we find out what the £54 for 90 minutes thing was ?

Ah Glum you clearly ‘don’t give a shit’ about your DCs and their enjoyment of the festive period

We did Santa at Harrods for a few years followed by high tea which was amazing. Had to book in September to be able to get a weekday slot. They changed the system though so you have to make Harrods purchases throughout the year to be able to book tickets. Shame as it was a magical day for DCs

TBH for £54 I'd want Father Chrimbo to actually run around and do all the Chrimbo shopping for me and deliver it on Christmas eve lol.

I took DD to a "Santa experience" once. Was only 3. It was a Santa breakfast. She didn't like the sausages, only ate the beans, got a cute photo in the grotto and then we came home after a bit of a play in the soft play. Cost £10.

She's getting presents on Christmas Day, I really can't be articled with all the rest of this must do magical crap.

What the fuck is "stupid smart"? Is it the sort of smart that books a fifty quid Santa visit without noticing that Santa won't actually be there?

I came on to tell my awful experiences, thought it was that sort of thread. Not relevant but I will anyway!

Steam railway, fairground, nice Santa in a shed gave DS1 a WWF cuddly toy. He looks absolutely devastated but says thank you politely and poses for a very sad photo. Sobs as soon as we leave that Santa didn't give him anything from his letter.

Museum of London, Victorian grotto, rip off price but as we've had value from the (excellent) musuem I don't mind. Children given tiny wooden toy. DS2 throws it across the floor, says it's rubbish, rolls around screaming. Santa's elves in fits of laughter. Hilariously angry photo.

Garden centre, afternoon tea with elves, story with Santa in a big sledge, then present. DS2 gets really fed up with story, marches up to Santa mid reading to tell him "this is boring, where are the presents?!" I thought my in-laws were going to die of shame.

One year was a fancy children arts charity Christmas house set up. All a bit too theatrical and freaky for my DC. Included a story reading by an author that didn't finish. You'd have to buy the book to hear the rest.

I'm completely over fancy Santa experiences.

Mumsnet always seems a competition for who is least bothered by christmas.

In normal life santa is a big deal. Everywhere decent here sold out before october

Wow, what a thread! So this isn't a complete wind up? I am amazed and so pleased my children are older!

Your children sound a bit spoiled, IWishICould. I work with disadvantages children and they would have been thrilled with what you describe. I think most non-disadvantaged kids (including mine) are spoiled actually, because their parents are OBSESSED with giving them a “magical Christmas experience”. It’s overkill these days. Overwhelming for the kids and stressful and expensive for parents who fall for it all.

I hate to say it again but social media is to blame for a lot of this. Parents sharing photos of the magical Christmas they have given their child. Many others then (wrongly) infer that they are depriving their kids if they don’t also provide the same. Various institutions get on the bandwagon and publish the event on Facebook.

When our parents and grandparents are aghast at today’s consumerism and say that all they had in their stocking was an orange, a bar of chocolate, a packet of sweets and a pen, I can’t help but feel empathy. I used to feel they were being silly, times move on and all that, but the older I get the more I feel the older generation are right about a lot of things, and we are creating a huge amount of trouble with the way we are bringing up our precious offspring. Yes, I thank god that a good beating is now illegal as a punishment, but dearie me, we dare raising some spoiled, wet, workshy brats as the next generation.

“In normal life santa is a big deal. Everywhere decent here sold out before october”

Interesting comment. MAkes me wonder how old you are.

I hope you enjoy your miserable cheap, non-consumerist Christmas.

ROFLMFAO!!!

Oh I will. I'm a Christmas Nutter. I love, love, love it. My favourite time of year. I had Christmas parties for my birthday as a child. I'm summer born.

The thing you are deliberately ignoring in my post is that, you don't need to shell out for the magic, just use your imagination. Santa has his own special magic, which to have that 'thing' that makes it really last as a child (and beyond), has to be untouchable by the rampant consumerism.

Don't confuse the two. You loose something in the process when you don't value the little silly things and have emphasis what creates memories.

I value the Santa spirit and I do freely admit to enjoying the consumer stuff too - but knowingly and for exactly what it is. Not mistaking it for the magical stuff.

As for my cheap, miserable and non-consumerist Christmas this year, I'm sodding off for a long weekend for the Christmas Markets. (Not that I ever buy anything at the markets!)

Bah Humbug, to you.
Have a mulled whine.

P.S. Your 4 year old, won't even notice if he doesn't visit Santa, come 6.00am Christmas Day.
.
P.P.S. Amen to Rotary Santa. No fuss, no stressed parents and over excited children.

Who was vile about your child?!

CurlyhairedAssassin my DC get a lot of nice treats from my PIL (exPIL now). All the things I mentioned were grandparent treats. They are elderly and in poor health and it gives them great joy. Not my values to get lots of toys but I'm very grateful, especially as I haven't a great deal. Also, I'm not a killjoy.
DS1 saved his pocket money last Dec to give to a homeless charity. I don't do Facebook, never have. Your post is incredibly judgemental.
My youngest is 3 and he has been known to throw tantrums. Raised expectations and queues don't help. He would like it better if Santa gave him a big toy.

Wind up thread, surely? If not for suggesting how so very advanced DS is, then certainly for suggesting that anyone not willing to book in advance and pay £54 to meet Father Christmas doesn't give a shit. £50 is the budget for my son's main Christmas present. The visit to FC happens at the local turning on the lights, where the indoor market has an FC for £2 per child. They have carols, fireworks, cheap tat that lights up etc. Strangely enough, my DC still feel that Christmas is a magical time despite the lack of reindeer and snow.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure the £2 goes to charity.

If it’s judgemental then I’m also judging myself. I already said my own kids probably also fall into the “spoiled” category. grandparents have always gone over the top.

Great post, redtoothbrush!

Oh my god, WishICould, you must have been so embarrassed at the awful behaviour of your kids! How spoiled! What did you do when they were so ungrateful and rude??

Ha ha, op, you're so funny! You and your stupid smart DC and letting other DC catch up!

Ha ha!

I get there are two camps, people who care and those who don't give a shit.

And you’re in the “latter” camp are you OP? Surely you mean the former? Shame you’re not as “stupid smart” as DS is. Then you might realise it’s pretty stupid and not at all smart to pay £54 to not even meet a fake Santa. Pmsl 😆