I took my family to The Christmas Experience at Lotherton Hall and was staggered by how much there is to do

Christmas has arrived early in Yorkshire, as Santa and Mrs Claus dust off their suits and boots to take up residence at a popular Leeds country house once again this year.

On Friday evening, we were lucky enough to try out the the family favourite Christmas Experience at Lotherton Hall and it did not disappoint. While, my five-year-old was next level excited, I was a little more sceptical, since visiting Lapland a few-years-ago most Christmas events have fallen at the wayside in comparison.

However, I was soon made to eat my words when we arrived at the impressive venue dripping with twinkly lights, enchanting snow-filled paths and more than a little dose of magic.

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We arrived and greeted immediately by one of the resident elves who supplied us with our site map and two golden coins, which served as tokens for the elf crafts.

We parked up in the very conveniently located free car park as per his instruction and as our first booking was with Mrs Claus we headed straight for the Elf Village.

There, the little ones can get stuck into three different Christmas crafts from making their own Christmas Eve plate, to painting a festive pot and even Christmas themed sand art. All as the adults enjoy a festive tipple or two from the Yuletide bar.

But first up was story time with Mrs Claus, we entered the cosy cabin of Father Christmas' other half to be greeted by a table filled with baubles, ribbon and small circles of tissue paper in bowls. We weren't sure at first what was going on but all soon became clear.

New for 2024, a very authentic looking Mrs Claus began to tell the group of intrigued children the story of 'the very first Christmas tree', which explained all about why we have decorated trees in our homes at Christmas.

The story was lovely, interesting and engaging - for the children and the adults alike! After the story was finished Mrs Claus invited the children to create their very own festive keepsake to take home.

The children were instructed to make a Christmas wish on each little piece of tissue paper before popping them inside their baubles and finishing it off with a bow. Mrs Claus offered families the opportunity to have a picture with herself before the session was finished.

After this we got stuck into the crafts in the Elf Village, which were fantastic. Each activity is set in its own cabin and is manned by a very cheery and helpful Elf.

My son particularly enjoyed the sand art, there is a choice of three Christmas pictures to pick from, the children are then encourage to peel off the stickers and cover their picture with sand from the provided bowls before pouring off to reveal their festive design.

He spent ages doing this but we didn't mind as we had a warm festive drink to keep us happy and it was nice to see him enjoying himself.

All of the activities are unique and really engaging for the children, the staff are great with the kids too and will happily chat along with them about their plans for Christmas and wishes for the big day.

After this we bought some marshmallow skewers from the treat cabin to toast on the fire pit, it cost £5 for three skewers, which I thought was really reasonable.

We went to an event recently where they were charging £20 for a pack of four - which we thought was scandalous! We all really enjoyed toasting the marshmallows and they were delicious.

Visitors can also catch a glimpse of Christmas past in the Hall, which has been transported back in time to explore the lives of the Gascogine family from the late 1700’s and marvel at the festive finery of an Edwardian Christmas.

After this it was time for us to head to The North Pole to meet the main man himself. We arrived at the snow-filled grotto to be greeted by yet another cheery Elf.

We were taken along to the Elf Emporium where we sat at old school style desks and listened to the story of how Christmas lights came to be at the North Pole.

Much like the session with Mrs Claus, the story was interactive, during the story children were encouraged step-by-step to create their own candle holder as a keepsake.

All of the children were really engaged and it was so lovely to see all of their delighted faces light up when the elves turned the lights off at the end as all of their handcrafted candles lit up the room.

After this we were taken to visit the magic wishing well where the children were encouraged to throw their 'Christmas wishes' in to the interactive well - who responded in a rather amusing manner - much the the delight of the little ones!

There an elf came and collected one family at a time to head over and meet Father Christmas. When it was our turn we were escorted through the Narnia-esque forest over to the grotto.

Here Santa was waiting to greet us, where he listened to my son's wishes and had a good chat with him, posed for a photo before giving him a special early Christmas gift.

Of all the Santa meeting experiences we have done, this was by far my favourite, it was much more engaging and intimate than some of the others we have visited.

It didn't feel at all rushed, the children were given as much time with Father Christmas as they needed and the conversation was genuine, as oppose to feeling staged like we have experienced at other events.

Unfortunately, we didn't get chance to do the festive trial before the end of the event but that is only due to the amount of activities on offer and the fact we physically couldn't drag my son away from the Elf Village!

Overall, we really enjoyed the experience and we left feeling well ready for the festivities ahead.

The Christmas Experience at Lotherton Hall is ideal for families with young children looking to create lasting magical memories this festive season and I, for one, would certainly recommend.

The Christmas Experience will run throughout the festive season and finish on January 5, 2025.

Tickets are available from just £6.75, booking is essential as spaces are limited and operate strictly on a pre-booking only, time-slotted system. Book yours here - you won't be disappointed!

To find out the latest event news in our city you can visit our Best in Leeds homepage. There you will also find a guide to great things to do in Leeds.

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