Father Christmas Visits are so expensive

[Jumpers4goalposts]

AIBU that a trip to visit the big man in red is getting so expensive. As a family we like an experience visit get us in the festive mood. But looking now (rather late) to book something for DD7 and everything is so expensive and I have a huge fear that it will be rubbish.

So AIBU it’s once a year and you get what you pay for, or
YANBU it’s so expensive what happened to the magic?

also any recommendations for a fab Santa visit which is more of an experience rather than a 2minute chat and a box of chocolates. We’ve done LaplandUK (amazing but sold out), longleat, polar express and Celtic manor which we really enjoyed. Also have done Chessington which we didn’t like so much.

How can a 6 year old be too old for santa? That's really sad. My daughter will be nearly 8 and we are still visiting santa.

I totally agree. The cheapest for 3 of us (2 adults, one child) I can find is £50. She’s only 3 so I really just want a brief garden centre free visit like there used to be when my ds (12) was little. The garden centres that used to do a feee/cheap visit now put on a huge arranged “breakfast with Santa”. It’s crazy how much it has changed in less than 10 years.

Santa visits our town on the fire truck - it's great and even us adult households go out or cheer from the balconies. Then on the middle weekend he's at the town hall and you bring food for the food bank and make a donation to see him, the tapas bar next door has mulled wine and paella street food style too. This is so much better than the commercial experiences. And the town switch on is brilliant too

It is incredibly magical we went last year and it almost made my DD11 believe again.

We did Lapland Uk in 2020 after a grotty year and it being hyped by my competitive neighbour.

Absolute load of crap and not worth the money.

Chessington garden centre used to be lovely and wasn't a fortune but I realise this may have changed now.

Now they are older we try and do a theatre show so this year we are going to see the lion king.

You get the buzz of being in London with all the lights etc which makes it feel christmassy but you also get to see a great show

I always grew up think all the santas were elves just helping out because he was too busy in the North Pole. I vividly remember my mum asking after every visit whether I thought he was the real one or another elf. That’s what we did we our DDs

I agree you’re never too old for Father Christmas.

"Paying for visits to Lapland UK, and all the rest of the marketing nonsense about breakfasts and "experiences" and train rides and the rest of the shite is hardly essential."

Are we only doing "essential" things again?

Better root out my covid mask 😂

Lapland UK is fantastic. Only once but it's brilliant, many other things here are pretty shite. Chester Zoo lanterns was good

It's September 16 for Christ's sake, not December 1. Don't wish your life away.

I think a lot of these places get booked up very early.

"It's September 16 for Christ's sake, not December 1. Don't wish your life away."

Good luck booking anything decent if you leave it until December

Spinnaker tower in Portsmouth is good, you also have gun wharf to go shopping, maybe book panto (which is also reasonably priced) at the kings theatre 🎭 you should be able to get a fun day out at reasonable costs!

I agree it’s a good age to transfer to making some non-Santa traditional. Christmas at Kew is magical, and we also go ice skating (usually in Greenwich, then on somewhere cosy for lunch).

Re: being too old, one of DS’s darling little friends told everyone in the class that Santa wasn’t real in Reception. I’m not sure if he 100% lost faith to then, but he definitely thinks the Santas in these experiences are fake, and is quite openly just interested in the present now.

The London Zoo Santa experience is reasonable if you are already a member because you get a £15 teddy so basically break even. We usually go at least once per school holiday anyway. Wouldn’t be worth it if you also had to buy a £30 entry ticket.

Our favourite was the Black Country Museum. You go into all the different houses before meeting Santa, help a lady stringer Xmas pudding, get a lucky reindeer shoe from the blacksmith etc. Really nice day out.

Lapland UK sold out within a couple of hours of the tickets going on sale in March. A lot of these things require advance planning.

The best we ever had was one year when dd was small the local M&S had one for free.
You went in and there were presents all over the floor. Then the "elf" was all horrified that it wasn't going to look tidy for Santa, and asked the children to tidy up. They would run about putting the presents neatly, then Santa appeared, thanked them, and gave them all their "pay" (a chocolate coin) for helping and asked them their names which he wrote down on the "good list". On the way out they got a sticker saying "I've been good".
Dd talked about it for ages. Tbf she was only small, and I don't know whether older ones would have liked it, but rarely have they got a present from a Santa which was worth the money (let's face it, if it is, then Santa's probably operating on a loss!)

Im feeling conflicted about this too. Last year we spent about £180 on 2 events and honestly, both were really disappointing , and the same for the previous year. Once again, I am feeling the pressure to book something again this year, but just can't justify some of the prices. The best santa and grotto we have seen so far was the local garden centre charging a fraction of the price.

Too expensive, too stressful. Too many options. I see the lists of what families are booking for Christmas….awful. Christmas Day is the celebration not the lead up.

I'm grateful that mine are older, I think we would have slept through Christmas Day if we'd spent December with visits every weekend.

DC’s must have so many memories….that they all blur into one. Can they really be special when there are so many?

The most magical Santa for my DC’s was the first Christmas in our new house. Just as the DC’s were off to bed, we heard some bells outside. Opening the blinds, there was Santa, in his sleigh, pulled by horses. The local Lions! All voluntary, with donations. DC’s were mesmerised sitting on the window sill. Still in their pyjamas, we pulled on wellies and a coat and ran out to meet Santa.

Just perfect and unforgetable.

So many lovely things to do around Christmas time. We used to see Father Christmas at the library, at school. Sing carols wherever there are carols to be sung. Hot choc at a Christmas market. Ice skating. Christmas lights.

The big expensive Christmas events seem very risky. Either amazing or a complete rip off - such a rollercoaster of risky stress. Easier to just feel smug reading the sad-face articles in the papers.

It's so expensive now, even for a simple experience. When my eldest kids were little we could go to the local country park, with fairy lights and a festive clue trail, and pay £3 each to meet Santa in the Rangers' Cabin and get a mini soft toy, he spoke to the children for ages and was brilliant.

10 years later and now the cheapest Santa option locally is £15 for two minutes in and out in a garden centre. A 'good' Santa at a local farm park is £90 for 2 adults and 1 child. It's just crazy now, and I think the simpler visits of the past were more special. Poorly acted Elves/Mrs Claus actually make it harder to keep the belief and magic alive.

We did a number of santas last year and one of the best ones was at a National Trust, no queue, no present, free as we were members. The house was all decorated for Christmas and he actually spoke to them. We were not expecting to see Santa when we went so was a nice supprise.

I love the Father Christmas experience at Bocketts Farm- it’s always brilliant! Not sure if it might be a bit young for a 7 year old as I’ve always taken younger ones but it would depend on the child I think. I can’t recommend it enough!

I honestly do not understand "breakfast with Santa" events. Why is this a thing? What's breakfast got to do with anything? It's weird and unnecessary.

God a load of miserable sods on here 🤣
I meant the memories for us will last forever 🙄
But sorry for not being a total Scrooge!!

Ps - whoever said Christmas at Kew was magical - absolutely seconded! We did that last year and it was fantastic- with memories that will definitely last a lifetime 🥳🥳🩷🩷🩷

I’m not but if you want to go somewhere popular it books up. I know LaplandUK sells out in March.