To be shocked by the cost of this?

[squashedsandwich]

It’s £20.95 per adult to walk around our Christmas light trail this year. Tickets have just been released. It does look fantastic, but it’s only a mile long.

It’s £15.95 for a 3-15 year old, and free for under 2s.

They’re doing family tickets, 2 adults and 2 kids for £60.

I think it’s sad that at some point soon these activities are reserved for only those who can afford them. Maybe that has always been the case and I have been living under a rock but as someone who is pregnant with their first, I can’t see how families aren’t bankrupt over the school holidays and festive periods just simply from doing these kinds of activities! As with anything, the more DC you have the more it bumps the price up. I know you can intersperse them with free things to do, but I’m sure lots of families at Christmas will feel compelled to pay over the odds just to make it a nice and magical time.

We will likely go. It will be nice for baby’s first Christmas. £40 for us and an under 2 would be affordable right now but I can imagine when you have two in primary the cost must get crazy.

AIBU thinking these companies are taking the mick?

The ones I went to last year were about that. And guess what... they were packed out and sold out. So there's no need to drop prices for the businesses. It's not as if customers aren't coming.

The light trail thing was not a tradition when i was a kid.
No idea where this came from.

In my house most of the christmas traditional activities are free or cheap. Carol singing, baking the pudding & other treats, making & wrapping gifts with kids, making decorations, posting cards to our neighbours

I was shocked to see that the new Paddington bear thing in London is £40 for an adult ticket and £29 for kids!!!!

Thats £140 for my family for an experience they say on the website is around 90 minutes!!

But if people will pay that then that’s what they’ll charge I guess 🤷🏽‍♀️

Just as a side note for free ideas, we go to look at the Fortums and Masons window display (I think more for me really). The inside is pretty good too with the choreographed Christmas buddings. Obviously don't fall for the ridiculously expensive advent calendar that was really underwhelming as we did one year but other than that it's a great Xmas buzz

I will also say that I have organised events (perhaps not as elaborate as the one described) and it was a pretty hard slog that took loads of planning. I get cross when people say things like “Oh, it just runs itself” when no, it really doesn’t. It isn’t worth putting on events for little reward.

There used to be a massive event near me. Loads of people went and there was a great atmosphere - I am sure it made good money. But then the woman who organised it said she’d had enough and no one else put their hand up. So it doesn’t happen any more.

A Christmas light trail for me as a kid was always trekking around the village looking at people's lights on their houses! There was a chap who went all out each year so we always finished at his and my mam had hot chocolate in a flask.

We've always done the same with our daughter (or did when she was younger) and had a blast. If you want to pay to look at lights, go for it, but there absolutely are free options.

I was never able to afford these overpriced ativities for DS when he was young we were too poor. He didnt miss them.
We had lots of free fun together and made our christmases fun together with crafts and making gifts.

The Christmas my twins were about to turn 6 (January birthday) we took them to Blenheim Palace to do their Christmas trail and see all the lights. Honestly, they were not into it one tiny bit.
DH and I wanted to take our time, envisioning some nice moments to cuddle up as a family, take some pretty festive photos etc. The kids complained about being cold from the moment we got out the car, and then spent the rest of the evening madly running through the light tunnels etc. We then went into the house to see the tree displays in there, and the kids were just wanting to move through as quick as possible. Zero interest and a massive waste of time.

The next Christmas we put a flask of hot chocolate in the car, got PJs on, made the kids a little snack bowl each, and just drove around the town for 40 minutes looking at the lights on peoples houses. DH had done a reccy a few nights before to find some nice ones.
Just getting into the car in PJs, coats and with snacks felt like a real adventure to the kids, and they had way more fun and got a lot more out of it than the trip the year before.

Its not that it is expensive, thee are other things that are far more expensive and things that are far cheaper. Your issue is that you don't value it at that price. That's fine don't go, choose something that the cost matches your expectation of your enjoyment.

Christingle services for children are always fun.

Except it would cost a lot more to come to London than pay for a local light show - even if it is over priced.

Blackpool lights are paid for from council tax and voluntary donations. Anyone can see them, donations are encouraged - a fiver for a family, perhaps, but only if you drive the lights, not if you look at them in the centre of town, or catch the tram - and there are open topped trams if you wish (have to be booked). £60 for a family seems expensive.

For a sort of comparison, when I was a child my parents would take us to see the lights in Oxford Street at Christmas (and to see the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Squ). Many of the department stores had animated displays as well. A great draw, and the shops were open, so people shopped as well. Only cost other than spenind in shops (not compulsory) was the Tube fair (the Underground) plus maybe some roasted chestnuts from a street seller, and/or hot dogs.
The shops got great publicity and everyone had a good time.

Welcome to parenthood 🤣🎄🎄🎅

A coffee shop and florist local to me are advertising their Christmas wreath workshops - £75!

@squashedsandwich totally agree it’s insane. I earn well above average salary and only one dc. I refused to go to anything like this as to my mind it’s a huge waste of money. I will throw money at a couple of expensive things a year but generally try to avoid stuff like this… imagine if you dared have three similar trips over Xmas, cost would be crazy. Dd only 2 so when she’s bigger and actively can say if she wants to go then maybe I will think differently. But these places really do take the piss… and you’ll probably have to pay for parking and the best part of a tenner for mulled wine!

Pointless taking a baby to this!
Complete waste of money 🤷‍♀️

YANBU

That's ridiculous for looking at some lights.
I certainly wouldn't pay that

I used to do Christmas trails etc. The prices are horrendous. Apparently you have to spend over £2K a year in the store to get to see Santa at Harrods now! It used to be free for everyone.

😱

Sadly things do cost more money, baby won't know anything! I have an 8 month old, and he knew nothing about Christmas last year and he won't know much different this year. A walk round your local area to see other Christmas trees lit up at night is a nice idea. I plan to do that with my little one. Also, I plan to go and watch a tractor run this year, I think that is based on donations and tractors all lit up with chirstmas lights for charity. We are up north in the country. Save your money where you can, baby will receive lots of presents on arrival and Christmas and everything costs alot. You may also be completely wiped with new baby fatigue and the full on baby mania of sleepless nights so just take it easy and save the pennies. Do nice things before baby arrives. :)

We did one last year - it was a fabulous. But like you say the prices were getting up there. I think it was around £27 per person.

I selected unreasonable because a baby couldn’t care less.

Oh blimey. You used to have to be a Harrods member and be ready to book in August (but the only person I know who did this now has giant teenagers who aren’t interested).

That’s actually quite cheap compared with others

I wouldnt take a baby and toddler. Wait until they’re older, they won’t appreciate being out after dark in the cold…speaking from experience

That's exactly what we used to do with our kids when they were little. Sit on the top deck of the bus then walk down the street and see the (free) displays in the shops. Many stay open until 11pm near Christmas.
There was also a shopping centre near us who had a free Santa 'experience' it was excellent with a reasonable toy. They made their money by the fancy stuff they sold in the gift shop afterwards.