PRB Dobbies Santa disappointment

[TheRemotePart]

PFB met Santa this weekend
Paid £20 for a photo , meet and a toy.

Grotto was pretty ( if a bit rushed)
“Greeting elf” was stellar, award winning enthusiasm
But
Santa and photograph elf were terrible!?
I don’t think Santa even said hohoho? He may have been mute? Silently handed a present from the pile. Didn’t really try to engage with the baby.
Had to ask if he was going to hold baby for a photo.
So baby sat , fairly unbothered for the first minute or so , whist I assumed the skinny teen elf would try and get a snap - nothing - elf just starting about blanky unaware of baby’s time limits for such things
Eventually the baby started to squirm, and I asked if he was ready to snap yet?
Got baby to smile - elf talking to a staff member.
Finally presented a blown out photo of ME holding baby ( unflattering for both me AND PNB!)
Was so upset and asked the management for another photo attempt at least :( the female manager took one look at my distressed face and went “oh dear PNB first Xmas, I’ll better get another snap!” ) so that was something.
Santa still mute but teen elf jittery and needing prompting but took a slightly better photo.

Was I ?/AIBU? Are all grottos like this ? Do you need to hit Harrods to get a vaguely Christmassy experience? Is this just the start of paying for children’s things that are a let down - welcome to the club? If it’s digital and you have a time slot- what’s the harm in taking a FEW photos and letting you decide which one at the booth?

YABU - it’s not a professional shoot and it’s not actually Santa you’re meeting.

How old is the baby? I didn’t take any of mine until they were 2/3ish and knew what was going on, waste of money otherwise! They may have struggled to know what to do with a young baby that can’t chat back to them?
Does sound a bit crap though. We’ve been to loads of good ones over the years.

YABU - it’s not a professional shoot and it’s not actually Santa you’re meeting.

Also a baby presumably under a year old... you're lucky she didn't cry. I was at a Christmas event yesterday with my child who was performing as an Elf, the number of parents who were pushing kids forward for photos and the children just burst into tears.

the whole point of these Santa visits is for children who are at least at the walking/talking stage to meet the big man and tell him what they would like for Christmas. Santa isn't really there as a "prop" for you to get pictures of a very young baby "meeting" him.

@ThePoisonousMushroom 9 months ,nosey and unfazed

Haha true enough but I thought their at least ask his name ? Hohoho? Ring a bell? Anything ? I know it’s early on- but they’ve the whole of December and we won’t be the only ones with little babies,surely?
Definitely put me off for next year ,I think

Also, for safeguarding reasons, many Santa performers will refuse to hold children or have smaller children sitting on their knees.

It's usually standard that children sit adjacent to Santa on a bench or something.

I know the first Christmas is really special but you and your infant aren’t the target market for Santa’s grotto. They are not baby photographers and the whole thing is designed for old toddlers/young children who actually know what Christmas and who Santa is. If you want a PFB Christmas shoot then you’d be best to book a session with a professional photographer and you would expect to pay a lot more than £20. I’m taking my 4YO to meet Santa at London zoo and her baby brother isn’t coming, because what’s the point?

Presumably this is a young baby? Did you think the baby was going to get anything out of this?
I'm not being deliberately snotty, just out of all the lovely Christmassy things you can do with children, "meeting Santa" in a shop has never had any appeal.

That said, they should at least make it a nice experience for you!

For £20 you deserve better than this OP. People are going to put the boot in and chastise you for daring to want what you paid for - something professional, cheery and Christmassy!

@MLMshouldbeillegal
Ha ha aw the internet’s full of those crying babies meeting Santa photos
But the baby wasn’t bothered. Be assured if they’d started to cry - we’d have been off, no ones fault.
I stopped my first born photo shoot early as baby had had enough and I wasn’t willing to have them unhappy so I could have more photos.
Just though hed at least speak to the baby - maybe they should have a MRS Clause, all the older ladies never struggle to speak to babies

Pretty normal for the first Christmas 'Santa' photo do be of the parents holding the baby.

But no... because the "target market" for visiting Santa is perhaps 2.5 years through to about 7 or 8.

Not babies under a year old.

It's a Dobbies. Not a photoshoot. And your baby is presumably under one. Save this sort of experience for when they can interact with "Santa".

I’m surprised they are allowing the children near Santa, due to the virus

@NumaNumaYay of course I thought the baby would like it - all the lights and decorations, as said in preview posts Baby is very nosey and loves to look about at lights / zoos/aquariums /random people
And it does sound snobby-do you fly your children directly to Santa’s village to meet him ?

If we’re not the target audience - why ask for an age range so an appropriate toy can be given ? 0-12 months @LakeShoreD otherwise, I’d now agree with you haha

I have done a few shit ones but found a really good one at a local museum. He was amazing. So convincing, jolly, great beard and costume. Fantastic. They use the same guy each year. I think you need to look at reviews and try a few out and then return each year.

• and yes I did wonder about the being “ near samta” children / toddlers or babies , and I did ask “ are we holding the kids?” And there wasn’t anywhere to sit really

@whosaidtha yeah I think I’ll do that next year. But my local “mum group” was full of panicking mums ( of babies funnily enough ) looking for spaces as EVERYWHERE was booked up.

• I at least thought the garden centre woudld be pretty. And Santa vaguely festive

I don’t think you’re unreasonable! It’s perfectly acceptable to take your baby to see Santa, it’s not hurting them and it’s a nice memory for you. I took my 11 week old yesterday and it was very sweet! Although Santa was amazing and was chatting away to her. She sat on my lap though for a picture 😂 who cares if we are bonkers. It’s not ideal for £20 to have a distracted elf and a crap photo! There’s plenty of other grottos for next year, we have a really nice one by us but it’s expensive I think and I’m definitely saving that for when she has a clue what’s going on! Not sure where you’re based but friends of mine go to safari parks etc and it’s good value apparently

@unicornpower ha I knew it wasn’t just me!? My whole Facebook is full of hep-where-can-we-meet-Santa posts !
Even if it wasn’t “age appropriate “( not my opinion) I’d expect it to be vaguely festive?

I have been an elf - and now a days (even before covid) because of child protection issues children aren't allowed to sit on Santa. They can talk to him, of course.

A Mrs Clause also wouldn't be allowed to hold your baby

The elf should clearly be put on the naughty list , they should have chatted/interacting with baby. Good luck next year!

Hi op, just to let you know

1st year we went to dobbies it was bloody brilliant - a great 🎅 all the elves were fantastic and made it great….

That’s the only year it’s been good every other year since have been a complete waste of money!!
Rubbish Santa and rubbish elves…kids have been really disappointed

I would be surprised if Santa would have held a baby that small due to safeguarding and more laterally covid at the moment. I would have expected to hold my baby and have a photo taken 🤷‍♀️

But I completely understand your upset

@TheRemotePart tbf I booked tickets in October. It's not until 12th as well so you do have to be quick.

If we’re not the target audience - why ask for an age range so an appropriate toy can be given ? 0-12 months

Probably because lots of families will primarily be there with older siblings and giving the baby some cheap toy is an easy way to eek out an extra £20 from them. I’m with you that it sounds totally shit but I just don’t think you’d get what you want (a baby photo shoot apparently) even from a decent grotto, because that’s not really what they are there for. But I’d actually consider it a good lesson learned because at least you won’t take LO there again when they’ll actually be excited to meet Santa and have it be a massive disappointment because he’s a total grinch.

@LakeShoreD ha ha no.l we won’t go back.

Not a chance I'd have spent £20 taking a 9 month old to see Santa. You'll look back in years to come and wonder what the hell you were thinking.

My 2 year old loves the lights in the shopping centre and I've got a lovely photo of her sitting under the Christmas tree, that I took myself, when she was eight months old. You really don't need all these crappy 'experiences' when they're tiny. You'll waste enough money when they're bigger.

I took my 7 year old to "storyline with santa" at the weekend. There was about 20 children there and my DS and another girl of about the same age were the oldest by about 4 years. Most were babies on knees and a few very small toddlers (age 1-2ish). I suspect there were a lot of PFBs!
So I think you are the target market.