As we grow up, we begin to ponder some of life’s biggest questions; ‘What’s the meaning of life?’ ‘Who am i?’ ‘What came first, the chicken or the egg?’ But up there with such soul-searching questions is surely that age old conundrum: ‘Where can I find Father Christmas?’ Oh yes, don’t pretend you don’t want to know where you can find an overweight gift- wieldin’, reindeer-steerin’, legend who can travel the world in one night. The man commands an army of elves – give respect where it’s due! Chances are that if you are indeed Desperately Seeking Santa, you probably either have children or a problem – if its the former keep the little darlings happy with a visit to one of these festive destinations.
Lapland
We hate to be obvious, but you can’t write a blog post about where to find Santa without mentioning this most Christmassy of destinations! The beautiful, bleak scenery is an obvious draw, but for those with kids, it’s got to be the last word in the much sought after Authentic Christmas Experience. There are a whole host of different companies offering varying quality in hotel, flight and Santa-ry fun, but if you choose the right one, you should be able to give the kids as close an experience of meeting the God of Presents as they are ever likely to get! Tip: make sure you choose somewhere with realistic elves. In our (obviously wide and distinguished) experience, it makes all the difference(!)
Day trip to the North Pole
Predictably, you can do lots of Santa-related things in the North Pole – the chap seems to love cold weather. One day trip we’ve heard about takes you to Santa’s snowbound ‘North Pole post office’,where the elves sort the Christmas post before Santa sets out in his sleigh to deliver it. Lunch will be in a traditional wooden restaurant where hot soups, baked potatoes and pancakes with jam will be served for children. Santa experiences are fairly easy to come by in the North Pole so with a bit of research, you should be able to find the perfect festive trip.
Macy’s, New York
Macy’s Santa Land is kind of a big deal in New York; the chosen St Nick is kind of like the Donald Trump of the Santa circuit. As it were. The grotto at Macy’s is lavishly decorated, and the unemployed actor Santa is usually ho ho ho -ingly realistic, much to the delight of the smaller folk. The grotto is open from 9am until 9pm every day until Christmas Eve. You’ll start by ringing the bell for the “train” that will take you to the North Pole. As you walk through the train, you will feel rumbling from the “tracks” below. The animated displays, trains, dancing bears, and snow globes are visually entertaining and there are even a few elves knocking about to add to the festive cheer. Tip: It does take a while to see the man himself so prepare for a. your children to misbehave and b. yourself to feel irritated. Bring toys, sweets and a bottle of gin (joking, obviously. Bring two).
Disneyland
Starting in November, Walt Disney World in Orlando, USA goes Christmas-mental; 1500 trees are put in place and Mickey’s Very Merry Parade starts its dizzying display of festive cheer with a March of the Wooden Soldiers and dancing gingerbread men. At Disney’s Hollywood studios the Streets of America backlot area sparkles with millions of twinkling lights during the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. The Disney holiday tradition brightens the park, illuminating everything from trees to porches with millions of sparkling bulbs – and there’s always a Santa to meet and greet children. Unsurprisingly, Disneyland pulls out all the stops to give kids a glorious Christmas, so it’s probably quite a safe bet.
Santa Olympics in Sweden
In Swedish Lapland you can watch Santas compete at chimney climbing and present wrapping in the Santa Winter Games. Unfortunately we’ve not had the pleasure of seeing this wonderful spectacle here at dealchecker, but we can imagine it would be moderately entertaining. Everyone likes watching people fall over after all, especially if they are wearing a stupid costume. Warning: the Santa illusion may be shattered after children see fifteen Santas fighting over wrapping paper. Just sayin’. Here’s a video for curious types: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YA8Aow06x4
Header picture source: Guardian.co.uk