Best father christmas for older children!

[Gracie8991]

Please can anyone help me with authentic father christmas experiences for 10 year olds? I'm really struggling to find anything that looks good. (Not Lapland UK).

Child still believes but obviously is at an age where can spot things, he is aware that most of the Santa's you see aren't the real big man of course, so worst case scenario if I take him somewhere and he doesn't think it's the real one but is an authentic festive experience that he thinks is a helper of the real guy and doesn't ruin the magic, I can live with that. But absolutely don't want a tacky amiture experience that is only aimed at younger ones.

Would need to be London Or south east.

Can anyone help? I'm going round in circles trying to find something, need it to be a magical year for him after a difficult time and may be the last one he believes!

Many thanks 🙏🎅🎄

My 10 year old still believes; he's very bright and in the top sets for maths and English. It's not uncommon, especially if your child goes to a small village school 🤷‍♀️. Where are you based OP? Audley End is good at Christmas.

The Santa on Kent and East Sussex rail looked just like Richard Attenborough! My children loved the day. And my eldest is now 12.

@ichundich yes my son is very bright too! I think it just shows they still have some innocence and believe in the fun of childhood magic, which I think is a good thing not ever negative. They have a very long time to he grown up don't they so should enjoy it while they can. We are near Gatwick, Surrey. Not sure where that one is but thank you I'm going to look it up!

Makes do a fairly expensive trip to Santa, but we've done Legoland for the past couple of years. Santas are brilliant and it's very well done. We took our eldest for his last year of believing and he totally bought into it.

I don’t have any suggestions as I’m also looking for somewhere to take my 8 year old. But I just want to say that when my son was 10 he still believed in Santa and loved going to see him (as did most of his friends) and none of them teased each other about it. Absolutely nonsense to imply a 10 year old is too old to believe in Santa!

I’m thinking of Legoland this year for my 8 year old. How busy did you find it? And were most rides open? The last time we went to Legoland was on an inset day in June and it was heaving and we hardly got on any rides 😟 It put me off going back…

@User125179313 Couldn't agree more! Thank you, kids should enjoy the magic of childhood as long as they can and as long as they want to in my opinion. I found those comments pretty unnecessary and rude as well to be honest not sure what the point was 🤷‍♀️ could have been kept to themselves if they feel that way.

100%

Children already grow way up too fast!

I still find it puzzling that children older than five or six genuinely believe in it all.

I suppose there was much less hype around it when I was a child.

The 'magic' died for me aged about four when I saw that FC's 'beard' was tied on with string behind his ears (the amateur!) My mother had no answer to this and was a pretty poor liar anyway!

Then there was the issue of entry to a chimney-less house, and most puzzling of all, the very many doppelgängers.

I suspect many brighter children go along with it all just to please their parents. Can't think of any other rational explanation.

You're on the wrong thread. This thread is about children who believe. Not adults who didn't believe for long enough and turned into the Grinch 🤨

But aged ten? Come on! He will be teased to high heaven!

This is more about you than your child, and 'making memories' 🤮

Be careful when he gets a smartphone.

My son and all his friends still believed at 10. He went to a small prep school, is very bright, but had his childhood ‘protected’ too a degree by the life we led. He’s 12 now and fully cottoned on, but those years were magical and exactly as kids should be!

op, I know you said near London but if you could stretch to a weekend break then Kielder winter wonderland is FAB.

My 13 year old still believed at 10 and he was not ‘teased to high heaven’. His friends also still believed. None of them do now and they all have smartphones too (not sure what that comment meant). Also not sure why it matters to you so much if a 10 year old still believes or not.

Smart phone comment was to to do with being extra careful of properly protecting those children who may be extremely unthinking, naive and gullible- and they are if they genuinely believe it at aged ten.

Which I rather think they don't ! There are so many dark and dangerous things out there these days and children grow up far too fast. I don't think this myth is the way to combat it though.

Spend your money on a lovely family meal instead.

We went to Marsh Farm last year and had a fantastic experience.
Would echo pp's we love Legoland at Christmas.
In a very small minority but hated lapland uk

I agree that children grow up way too fast these days, but I’m not sure anyone was implying that allowing children to still believe in Father Christmas is a way to combat that.

I would love to see some evidence you have to back up your theory that a 10 year old who believes in Santa, is gullible and therefore more vulnerable.

Really though, it’s none of your business if someone else’s 10 year still believes, or if a family chooses to spend their money on seeing Santa.

Do you think Legoland at Christmas is still worth it even if you don’t see Santa? We’ve left it to late to book Santa, but my daughter said she doesn’t mind not seeing him.

@Words I honestly don't know what your issue is and what possesses you and others to come on a post like this with those type of comments.

Firstly my child is very bright and there is nothing wrong with his mindset or him believing in father christmas at 10, or the many other children that do. He has friends who are in year 7 and still genuinely believe and they are also very bright! They of course know 99% of the 'santas' around aren't the real one but that doesn't mean they can't believe in it full stop.

Kids get teased for all sorts of things, does that mean they shouldn't do anything or be themselves what so ever so they don't get teased? Pretty sad existence that would be. And for the record none of his friends tease about that. It seems people with the attitude you seem to have are probably part of the reason kids do grow up far to quickly now.

Secondly it is not for my benefit, as I have said elsewhere he has said he wants to go, I would not be taking him or forcing it if he didn't. I find that a bit inaulting. Perhaps you've had some bad experiences of people forcing things on you or were made to grow up too quickly or weren't allowed to stay child like long enough but you don't need to project that on others.

Thirdly as others have pointed out this is not the point of the post at all so this opinion has no relevance except to pick at people/argue so that makes you seemingly quite sad and bored. Honestly not sure why you're on this site if this is your input. Have a great Christmas!

I have a ten year old who still believes. This might well be the last year but I am not in any rush for her to move on to being a cynical tween.

Hever was good. Chessington was also pretty good. We've done Tulley's a couple of times but I think she might have grown out of it now.

@BackToRealitySigh We had one really good experience of lapland UK and then the following year (last year) a terrible one, they were night and day and the staff were awful throughout last year, even discussing the 'secret' where kids could overhear! Was shocking for what you pay and they weren't at all apologetic about it either, it's a shame as the previous year was great but even the kids picked up it was nothing like when we went before so can't go back really now. Seems you either get lucky or you don't when you go there.

Gracie - You are quite right. I am very, very sad at the moment.

Sorry you have taken my comments so deeply personally. For what it's worth I never thought for a moment that your ten year old was unintelligent. Far from it! I think most likely he may simply be pulling a handful of a Father Christmas beard over your eyes to please you - and have a nice day out. Or is delightfully naive.

That is very different from actually believing it all. Anyway I will leave it there, and hope you have a fabulous time together in whichever grotto you choose.

Hopefully all the elves are on message and the beard is stuck on with glue these days ;)

I love Legoland anyway - but worth it for me because there are no queues, everything except water rides open & it's so pretty.....
If you arrive as they open you might get a santa slot on the day.
(Disclaimer we went 2 years ago and 4 years ago not last year - so it might have changed)

@Words I am sorry you're having a difficult time, I truly am.

I don't believe it is the way I have taken the comments that is the issue, given the responses from several others as well. But I really am not here to argue especially not when someone is struggling, which is the main thing that bothered me about some of the comments on here.

Anyway, just so you're aware my son genuinely believes (I can tell the difference when he is having me on and isn't) and I know a lot of his peers genuinely believe as well.

I think they can be intelligent, wise, children but still have the magical childhood innocence of things such as this and that should only be encouraged, as we all seem to agree they grow up far too fast. It does not mean they are (or I would want them to be) extremely gullible, unthinking or naive. My son thinks very deeply about lots of things but just believes in the magic still!

I wish you the best and hope things ease soon.