Mum spent over £1K on 'magical' four-hour Lapland trip meeting Father Christmas
A mum has shared details of a "magical" micro trip to Lapland that lasted just four hours. The flying visit included multiple festive activities - but cost £600 per person.
Mother of four Donna Rudd, 46, had always wanted to go to Lapland and finally decided to book the December 2022 trip for her youngest child, Leo, then 11, before he stopped believing in Santa.
Rudd, a waitress from Minehead, Somerset, surprised Leo with the trip the night before they flew, with the pair leaving from Bristol Airport at 7am along with Donna's sister, Diane Braithwaite, 59. They arrived at Kittilä International Airport in Finland at around 11am, before boarding a coach for a two-hour journey to Lapland.
Despite only having just over four hours there, the group packed in sledging, snowball fights, husky, snowmobile and reindeer rides and meeting Father Christmas. They left before 6pm to catch an 8pm return flight to the UK, landing just after 11pm.
Donna says the all-inclusive TUI trip was worth every penny. "It was a lot of fun," she says. "It's such a pretty place. I don't know how we fitted it all in, but it was magical."
The trio stayed in a hotel close to the airport the night before flying and that's where Donna revealed to Leo what was planned for the next day. She gave him a puzzle, which she said Father Christmas would help him with in the North Pole.
Describing the atmosphere on the plane, Donna says: "Everyone was wearing Christmas jumpers and we sang songs. It was so lovely."
Prior to the outing, Donna had provided Santa's 'elves' with a letter of Leo's wishes. "When he [Father Christmas] mentioned his name he looked at me in shock," she says. "He was so happy."
Donna says she even managed to get in a bit of souvenir shopping before the group headed back to the airport. "It's not cheap for a day," Donna says of the experience. "But it was so worth it. I'd even go back as an adult without kids."
Rising cost of seeing Santa
From afternoon teas with the elves to taking a trip on the "polar express" to meet the big man himself, seeing Santa during the festive season has become quite the event, often with an eye-watering price tag.
Taking a trip to see Father Christmas can be a magical moment for families with small children, but with the cost of living crisis rumbling on and budgets stretched many families could struggle to afford to visit a grotto this year, particularly as costs seem to be rising further.
A trip to LaplandUK costs between £60 and £190 per person, depending on the dates you choose, with tickets are already sold out for 2024. That means a sizeable family can comfortably spend more than £1,000 on gaining entry to Europe's largest grotto experience, and that's before they've forked out for extras such as food and gifts.
Meanwhile in 2023 Harrods and the Ritz courted controversy for the second year running after joining forces to create a festive Christmas Grotto, but with a minimum entry fee of £250 for three people, plus an extra £75 for any additional guests of any ages, and the session only lasting 30 minutes, it's a pricey experience.
While no doubt magical experiences, the pressure on parents to provide a meet and greet opportunity at such expense is likely causing some financial stress. Thankfully, there are still some spend-less ways to see the big fella including seeking out free events at school festive fairs, taking advantage of early bird prices for next year or finding less expensive grottos as local garden centres.
Victoria Benson, chief executive of Gingerbread, a charity which supports single parent families says parents should try not to feel the need to fork out. "While understandably parents want their children to enjoy Christmas, it’s not necessary to buy huge amounts, despite what the adverts might be telling you,” she says.
She advises that “doing Christmassy things with your children like baking or making decorations can also give huge amounts of pleasure and create memories and traditions”.
Additional reporting SWNS.
Read more about Christmas:
Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert reveals how to get a free £200 before Christmas (Teeside Live, 2-min read)
11 tips to help you save - and even make - money ahead of Christmas (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
Best Christmas family activities for a fun festive day out (Digital Spy, 8-min read)
