Where to meet Santa in London Christmas 2013

When Baby Girl met Santa at London Zoo on Sunday, he told her next time she would meet him was on Christmas Eve when he would visit her while she was asleep. Hmm. I don’t think Santa was completely up-to-date with Baby Girl’s schedule.

There are so many fun places and Christmas events in London in December, and here are some suggestions for where to take children to see Santa:

Harrods
I booked Baby Girl’s slot in September. It felt all wrong to plan a Santa visit that early, but when I received the email I got stressed about not getting in, so I figured it was better to be safe. There’s a £10 administration fee per slot for the Christmas Grotto at Harrods, but if we turn up to our session the £10 will be put back on our Rewards card to spend in-store until 31 December.

Duke of York Square
I passed the Santa’s Grotto on Duke of York Square in Chelsea when it was closed yesterday, but it will be open every day from Saturday. It’s free and easy to book a slot with Santa, so Baby Girl and I are very excited about visiting him there next week instead.

Barker & Stonehouse
There’s a Christmas Extravaganza at Barker & Stonehouse in Battersea on 5 December from 5-8 in the evening, and Santa will be attending the event. In fact, he’ll even be giving goody bags to children. There’s no booking required here. It’s a free family event, and there will also be a local choir, mulled wine and a Christmas market.

London Zoo
Baby Girl was one of the first to meet with Santa in his little wooden house in London Zoo on Sunday, and he gave her a little gift bag with a soft toy. We then went to see his reindeers, parked outside, and after that we decorated a gingerbread man. On the way out, we even managed to fit in some shopping in the gift shop, where members of London Zoo receive a 20% discount until Christmas. Daddy T and I are both members of London Zoo, so we didn’t pay the zoo entrance fee, but we had pre-booked the Christmas experience, which was £8 for Baby Girl.

And a bit further afield..

Legoland Windsor
We’re saving Legoland Windsor for after Christmas Day when Santa has gone back to the North Pole and a Christmas Elf will be in charge of the meet-and-greet. But up until Christmas, it is possible to meet Santa in Legoland by booking the Christmas experience. There’s a Santa’s Grotto and a Lego Christmas tree. I can’t wait to take Baby Girl aboard the Hill Train, which will take us to this Christmas land filled with a thousand twinkling lights, decorated log cabins, sleigh-bells, and carols.

Tags: Barker & Stonehouse, Chelsea, Christmas, Duke of York Square, Harrods, Legoland Windsor, London, London Zoo, Photo with Santa, Santa