Make Christmas magic with a visit to Santa

IT’S the most wonderful time of the year and a visit to the Man in Red will ensure that the magic of the season of goodwill is felt by your little one this year.

For there is nobody who puts a huge smile on the face of a child like Santa Claus, the greatest of all when it comes to generosity.

The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends.

Today the festive season begins a bit earlier than it did when many of us were growing up. The lights are on as early as mid-November in some of our towns and villages and the weekend calendar starts filling up very quickly.

With the cold weather and the to-do list growing, it’s great to get a visit to the Man in Red booked as quickly as possible.

There are several top class venues throughout the county where you can bring your child to meet Santa Claus. Unlike olden times when the visit to Santa was five minutes in a queue in a supermarket and a present, before returning for shelter in the car, these days a visit to Santa can involve spending a few hours enjoying a whole range of fun activities.

Some venues offer Santa train ride experiences, others meet and greets with Mrs Claus and some elves and the places themselves are decorated in wonderful lights and Christmas decorations.

Local businesses really do go all out to make the season as magical and jolly as possible, and the presents have improved a lot too!

Children get to enjoy real family time and the parents are often treated too, with hot drinks.

Beyond the commercialism of Christmas and all the to-do lists, there is still real wonder to be enjoyed so why not sit down and start planning where you would like to bring your child/children to see Santa this year.

Places are filling up fast so why not peruse the options here and make your decision. There will be hugs and huge smiles of appreciation on the day so get booking now.