Santas grotto price increases this year?! 😒

[RisenWhine]

DD has been coming home asking if we’re going to see Santa before Christmas as all of her friends are. I’ve been meaning to book something but everything I’ve looked at just isn’t in my price range. I can’t find anything relatively locally for under £60?!

also why are adults tickets being forced out with mince pies and mulled wine? That’s great as an optional extra.. but I don’t want to buy an adult ticket for £12 because it comes with a mince pie (which is a heinous festive creation) and mulled wine (I’m sober).

I’m stressed. I clearly wasn’t prepared enough for the price increase this year and need to do better next year.

anyone else frustrated at the price of grottos now?😒

Local breakfast with Santa here is £85 🥲

Jeez really?! Santa needs to come back home with me for £85 🤨

That is the reason i dont have any sympathy. There are plenty who think that spending the money is worth it. Where do you draw the line? Dont places like Harrods do it even bigger? For me it isnt worth it and i find it very sad things like the local rotary sleigh's are disappearing as they have much more ethos about the giving.

Wasnt their a commercialised christmas grotto experience last year that turned into a nightmare for parents. Massive queues, pathetic displays and basically herded through a few rubbish marquees to get a rubbish toy at the end.

I remember when Harrods Father Christmas was free.Heaven only knows what they charge now.

£275 for up to 4 people!

Edit: For some reason, I read Harrods as Hamley's 😂

It's still a fortune! Bet Harrods is even more expensive.

I've just had a look around near me and to be fair, it's the really expensive slots left now... we've got a farm grotto thing booked that'll use most of the day, I paid £40 for all of us in September but to book today now that there's less slots available and the early-bird deals etc have all ended, it'd be £180.

We're going to an arboretum event too; I paid £40, it'd now be £120 for all of us. Same for our Christmas light trail, we paid £55, it'd now be £210?!?!

Garden centres are the worst near us, all three of the main ones near us were in the £70+ range for two adults and two children (border of Kent/London). We’re going to one at a mansion type estate this year which is £30 per child and adults no charge. Still a lot though, they’re all greedy fuckers 😄

Santa, like every other employer, has been hit by the NI increases. Plus the elves pay settlement cost him and Mrs Claus dearly.

Try your local church or leisure centre. They often have a fundraising Christmas fair. Usually around a £5. Good luck!

It's great that you've found a garden centre one. If that doesn't work out, you could look for churches near you on Google maps, find out if they have a Christmas Fair then phone to ask if santa will be there if they are.

I will only go to charity ones. The local garden centre charges £8 per child, accompanying adults £1 and 100% of it goes to charity. The children get a present too. It's a lovely Grotto and done up really nicely. I've never done Grotto's for a company's profits.

Funnily enough I was looking at photo of our visit ten years ago and in the photo you can see the grotto and a sign saying how much it was, £7 per child, and I think adults went free then, and they also gave gifts. So I don't think that's bad inflation wise at all!

Harrods Grotto doesn't exist anymore, it was reserved to special customers but it's been closed for a few years now.

I'm not saying that 3 year olds don't get anything out of going, but OP's point was that she was only thinking of going this year because her 5 y/o DD asked to go.

If she thinks it's worthwhile going from age 3 onwards she would have taken her DD the past 2 years. As she hasn't, and as her DS hasn't asked about going either, the easiest way to save money would be for one adult to only take the child that specifically wants to go rather than the whole family going.

Shopping centres?

Santa is in my local town centre two Saturdays running, £5 and all proceeds to the children’s hospice appeal. Most areas will have a similar charity event