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Original poster

Is it still traditional to take your children to see Father Christmas?

39 replies

NotmySundaybest · 24/11/2023 07:07

Was wondering this as I haven't heard any parents talking about it this year?
If you do how much would or have you paid?

OP posts:
Returnsreturnsandmorereturns · 24/11/2023 07:10

Yes. It ranges from a donation to charity at the shopping, free with breakfast at IKEA to £££ full days out.

We paid £50 for a santa and reindeer visit including farm.

Whinge · 24/11/2023 07:13

It's definitely something most parents / carers still do. Slots for the well done and reasonably priced grottos / experiences book up months in advance which might explain why you're not seeing many people currently posting about it.

Pricing varies depending on the place you visit. This year a lot of Tesco's stores have a free grotto including a gift (which was fully booked within 24 hours) but prices range from a few pounds to £100s for experiences like the Polar express train / Lapland.

Shewhobecamethesun · 24/11/2023 07:18

I've paid £5 for a half hour elf workshop that includes activities, games, a story and then a visit from Santa at our local shopping centre.
I've done the big expensive all day activities and then just done the £2 town visit followed by a trip to McDonald's. The dc love them all and ime, there's no correlation between cost and enjoyment.

reluctantbrit · 24/11/2023 08:22

The best we did was also the last time DD went (she was 9 and knew the "truth" but still liked the whole experience.
It was at a local National Trust place, fairly low key, I think we paid £10 and that included some craft activity of tree decorations we still have and put on each year (DD is 16 now).

No extra fees for photos, the guy playing Santa was one of the nicest we met.

Really good ones are hard to find that late. According to my colleague with a 5 year old, prices for more upmarket experiences are definitely exploding.

00100001 · 24/11/2023 08:22

Definitely still a thing

MarleyandMarleyWoo · 24/11/2023 08:24

I think an awful lot of people do, yes. We’re going to longleat in a few weeks and have paid for the Father Christmas train experience thing, so it’ll be the first time ‘meeting’ Father Christmas for my son. Just seemed like a cute thing to do, obviously it’s not the cheapest but we can afford it fine and I do like some of the cheesy Christmas stuff you can do!

BellaTheDarkOverlord · 24/11/2023 08:29

I booked Santa visit for my two. I think it cost £8 a child and they get a teddy each from Santa. It includes a walk through grotto.

Last year we had breakfast with Santa. Includes full english breakfast, carol singing, Santa comes and all the kids get a small toy, colouring and a grotto. That I think was £40 for 4 of us.

A few years ago we went on a Santa train. It was an hour ride where Santa comes down the train to see each child, talk to them and give them a gift. We paid for a private compartment by ourselves as I couldn’t guarantee we would all be sat together if not. Cost me £120 for a private compartment that seats 6. A few weeks before I realised it was only 3 of us so I invited my brother, SIL and their boy to join us. It was really nice as it was snowing so much too. Kids loved it.

Lalanbaba · 24/11/2023 11:48

We do!
Book on a Christmas tree farm, includes a toy for £7 donated to charity.
Booked in September, sold out in 20 min.

Thesearmsofmine · 24/11/2023 11:53

Yes, there is a huge variety in price though as some places have realised how lucrative it can be!
We’re going to our local NT, we’re members so entry is free and Father Christmas is free(he walks around the house, sits by the fire etc) and you can just go and chat to him, there is no present or anything but it’s really relaxed which is better for my youngest dc who can be a bit shy and finds the big OTT grottos a bit much. He is also an amazing Father Christmas, the best I’ve ever seen!

ohtowinthelottery · 24/11/2023 11:56

There's so many places advertising around here - from breakfast with Santa, going on a boat to see Santa on an island, riding in a 4x4 up a hill to see Santa in a cave, Santa on a canal boat, Santa on a steam train to name just a few. Looking at social media parents are all over it!
We are also fortunate enough to have a Rotary Santa float which tours the housing estates in December so those who can't afford the expensive visits can still see Santa with their children.

RaraRachael · 24/11/2023 12:03

Where I live the trend seems to be Breakfast with Santa. Some are up to £25 per child, adults a bit cheaper, usually at local hotels.
I have a friend who takes her children to a different one each Saturday and Sunday in December,

SaturdayGiraffe · 24/11/2023 12:19

Selfridges has free Father Christmas visits.
But then they also have £60 breakfast with Santa which is sold out (!)

kneehightoacat · 24/11/2023 12:20

Yes and you will have had to book months ago for many of them

YessicaHaircut · 24/11/2023 12:47

DS is 3.5 this Christmas and will have 2 visits to Santa. One at a local NT place which is beautifully decorated, with a grotto including gift and you also get access to a great kids play area and petting zoo. Cost around £25 between DS and me.
Second visit is at a soft play place, they get an hour’s play session, then a visit to the grotto with a gift and sweets (they use the birthday party room for this) and then a buffet lunch. £12.95 for DS and adults free entry, so me, DH and my mum are all going along. Cheap afternoon out and DS loved it last year!

skgnome · 24/11/2023 12:53

Yes, still a thing
we did from the local school Christmas fair (£2) to the “experience” ones £40 - but you can go to Lapland if you want to spend big £££
my DD said up to her 10th birthday that the local shopping centre was the real one, since they had a parade once with a real reindeer - therefore if the reindeer was real = that was the real Santa!
By 10 she suspected…
but there you have it, local shopping centre £5 visit, trumped the full “experience” one size, real reindeer was very cute! (Reindeer was there for 2 hours, on a nice big paddock, kids could only see it and then went back to the farm - charity event )

GingerLiberalFeminist · 24/11/2023 12:58

I hope so as I've bpoked to take my LO (11 months) next month as her first Father Christmas outing!

SouthLondonMum22 · 24/11/2023 13:08

We are sticking with the low cost options whilst he is so young. I just want a picture really.

Last year he was 2 weeks old so we just went to a free one and then paid for a picture and keyrings.

This year, he will have just turned 1 and we've paid £15. It's aimed towards toddlers and includes Santa reading a story to the group on the session and getting a present from the elves workshop. I imagine we'll pay extra for pictures.

WeeSleekitCowrinTimrousBeastie · 24/11/2023 13:19

We took ours to see Santa every year till they were about 8.

There's loads of Santa's Grottos around in shops and there will be one at the Christmas Fayre I'm going to tomorrow.

The Fayre tomorrow is £2 to see Santa but fancy grottos in shops are £15-25.

InTheRainOnATrain · 24/11/2023 13:32

We’re skipping it this year. The 6YO no longer believes and the 2YO is too young to fully get it yet (his sister definitely got Christmas on the day at 2 but just looked a bit baffled at the chap in the costume). Might get back on it next year as 3 is a really good age for the anticipation. In previously years we’ve done Hamleys which is pretty good as you book your time, there’s no queuing and you go into the grotto just your family.

AyrshireTryer · 24/11/2023 13:33

Tradition is peer pressure by dead people. Do what you and your child want.

Nagado · 24/11/2023 14:20

We go to Center Parcs with my DB and his family each year, so DN will be meeting Father Christmas there, which I think was around £21 plus optional photos. We did it for his first Christmas last year and obviously he didn’t have a clue what was going on, but he was beaming, so worth every penny.

He’ll also be meeting him at a free thing at his mum’s workplace.

ColleenDonaghy · 24/11/2023 14:29

Definitely a thing here, I was online a few weeks like seemingly every other parent of small children in the area booking tickets for our local farm. Website crashed to the extent they had to postpone a few days, and then it crashed again. The things we do.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 24/11/2023 17:28

Ah it's one of the things I miss now mine are grown up !

DS when he was 3yo , took him to Lakeside (one afternoon it was quieter) to their Grotto
Father Christmas on a Steam Train - one year we went to the little wooden hut at the end of the track , another year Father Christmas walked through the train to talk to all the children
Then one at Deal Castle in Kent where they could draw , play , explore then go through to see Father Christmas and the huge tree.
As they got a bit older we took them to a local Visitor Centre in a park with reindeer that they could feed (there was advice on what was suitable ) a tea shop and space to run about and tire themselves .

If I'd known abiut breakfasts , I'd have done that too Xmas Grin

Sparehair · 24/11/2023 17:32

I used to go to the one in Hanningtons ( department store) in Brighton when I was a kid. You went in an elevator down to a themed grotto and then met Santa. It was so magical and every year would reaffirm my belief. I can still remember how I felt there.

sadly my kids grew up outside uk so grottos like that weren’t really a thing. We did do Lapland once which was amazing.

Danikm151 · 24/11/2023 17:35

Yep. I have 3
photos with Santa so far and i’m planning on taking him till he refuses to go. £2 one at a local shopping centre.

this year we’re going to a special event including a xmas trail. £12.50 per child and £4 for adults but the grandparents are paying for that. We’ll still go to the cheap one too 🙂