The UK was blessed with snow this month! I saw on Instagram all of my online mates boomeranging the snowflakes and snapping pictures of typical British streets turned into winter wonderlands.
And yet, my little patch in South Manchester didn’t seem to get the snow memo. Little bit of hail. A slight dusting of sleet. But no snow. Gutted!
Thankfully, we live remarkably close to the Chill Factore for all our fluffy snowy needs. For those who aren’t from Manchester, the Chill Factore is an indoor ski slope which uses real snow so that winter sports enthusiasts can get some practice here in the UK before their seasonal trips. But at this particularly special time of year, Santa opens up his grotto on site.
It’s one of the loveliest settings I’ve seen for a Santa meet, and depending on the age of your child, after meeting Mr Clause and receiving your present, you then get to go and play on the snow! Either by hitting the slopes or in the Mini Moose adventure land for children under 4.
Like I said, South Manchester didn’t have much luck with snow this year so that makes this little visit Luna’s very first experience with snow! And I was so excited to see what she thought.
It’s always a little sad when photography isn’t allowed, but the meet for Santa itself I thought was the nicest bit – and alas I sadly have no images to share! Walking through a sea of twinkly lights, and then onto a pathway of Christmas trees led to Santa’s grotto, to a faux living room and wonderfully cosy setting to meet the big guy. And for what it’s worth, and I know this may change depending on the year, but this was the loveliest Santa I’ve met.
I wanted to cover this today because 2017 has been a year of work. Not just employment-wise and blog-wise but with moving house. It’s a year that has been incredibly difficult for us as a family which is why I believe so much in taking the time out and just appreciating each other and doing something just because it’s a fun day out. This definitely fit the bill of that and it was just amazing to hear the crunch of snow under our feet and see that look of astonishment we want to see on our kids faces.
If you’re in the Manchester area and thinking about meeting Santa at the Chill Factore, here’s my quick rundown to see if it’s the right one for you.
Perfect for:
- Families with multiple children. Those moments playing in the snow really make it more of a family day out rather than just a quick pop in.
- Those of us who never get snow at home like us! A lovely way to introduce the kids to snowball fights without having to go abroad.
Probably not best for:
- The impatient or kids who haven’t yet grasped the concept of queues. Hell hath no fury than a toddler waiting almost an hour to see Santa. This venue thankfully had a colouring area whilst you wait but not all kids are so patient.
- Young children. Whilst Luna was a great age to become distracted whilst we queued, I think had she been any younger than she is (under 3), I’d think it was an expensive excursion.
Thank you so much for the Chill Factore who invited us along to meet Santa. You can see from Luna’s expression above that it was a magical experience.
