Ho ho ho! Father Christmas is back at Planters for 2025...

Enjoy a visit to the North Pole post office where you can write a letter to Father Christmas, before visiting Mrs Claus to craft some magical reindeer food. Then, it's off to see Father Christmas himself, where he'll ask what you'd like for Christmas and have a photo taken too. Afterward, choose your own toy from our toy shop before viewing your photos and purchasing any if you wish to.

Please note: this is a grotto experience with other families present.

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PLEASE NOTE:

• Our real reindeer will have returned to the North Pole on Christmas Eve and therefore will NOT be at the garden centre on 24th December.
• We regret that dogs are not permitted within the grotto experience.
• We regret that pushchairs or buggies are not permitted in group sessions due to space restrictions and fire safety. There is limited parking so we recommend you leave these in your vehicle where possible
• We can only accommodate manual wheelchairs within our grotto experience, wheelchairs are available in store should you need one

Changing your booking & cancellations: For grotto bookings, any changes made will incur a £10 modification fee. You can avoid this by logging into or making an account at checkout, which will allow you to change your booking online free of charge. This applies to all grotto events.

Back for 2025 - our Real Reindeer Grotto!

Step onto our events field for this grotto experience. Firstly, enter our TiPi and feel the festive spirit with a warm welcome and fantastic decorations. Take a seat and start your experience by crafting your very own plush reindeer toy to take home, with elves on hand to assist you through the process, give you your adoption certificate and complete the ritual to bring your new best friend to life.

After you've created your plush reindeer toy, get to work crafting reindeer food to take home with you to feed the reindeer on Christmas Eve, before writing a Christmas wish to hang on our Christmas tree or take home with you.

Whilst the bear-creating, reindeer food crafting and wish-making activities are taking place, families will be called up one by one to enjoy a private meet and greet with Father Christmas. You'll be able to tell him what you'd like for Christmas, as well as pose for a photo or two. The meet and greet with Father Christmas is as a single family, not a large group, and lasts approximately 5 minutes. Every child ticket will receive a toy from Father Christmas.

After you've completed your activities and seen Father Christmas, you'll exit the TiPi by walking through our herd of reindeer where you will be able to take photographs and may get a chance to get close to them. Rest assured that our reindeer are looked after and are part of the family. See our reindeer story here. 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• We expect our Real Reindeer Grotto sessions to last approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how fast you complete the activities
• Please arrive slightly before your time slot, if you are late you will be allowed in but may miss some of the activities and we won't be able to move you if we're full
• Our Real Reindeer grotto is located in the events field. Follow signs for the overflow car park and/or Reindeer Grotto
• The events field is an outside space. This means that it may be cold and/or wet, so please dress appropriately and wear sensible footwear. All activities take place inside the TiPi, except the reindeer paddock which is fully outdoors. Our Real Reindeer grotto will operate in all weathers
• There are no toilet facilities in the events field. You will be permitted to leave to go to the toilets in the main shop but this will reduce the time of your experience by 5-10 minutes, and you may miss some of the activities
• You are permitted to change your booking up to 12 hours before the event. If you created an account online, simply log in to your account and make any changes. If you didn't create an account, please call us on 01827 251511 to change your booking. If you change your booking for a session that has a higher price, you will be required to pay the difference
• We regret that there are no refunds permitted at any time, unless we are unable to operate for any reason
• We will contact you by email if there are any updates or changes to your booking
• We regret that pushchairs or buggies are not permitted in group sessions due to space restrictions and fire safety. There is limited parking so we recommend you leave these in your vehicle where possible
• We can only accommodate manual wheelchairs within our grotto experience, wheelchairs are available in store should you need one
• Parts of this event take place outdoors, so please dress appropriately for the great British weather and ensure you have shoes or boots on

Changing your booking & cancellations: For grotto bookings, any changes made will incur a £10 modification fee. You can avoid this by logging into or making an account at checkout, which will allow you to change your booking online free of charge. This applies to all grotto events.

Back for 2025 - Santa Baby and Santa Paws!

Sessions for babies, toddlers, or dogs to come and meet Father Christmas in his Grotto.

You will receive a gift from Father Christmas in his Cabin and have your photo taken by one of our cheeky elves.

Please note that this is not the full grotto experience that is offered in our Meet Father Christmas Sessions

Changing your booking & cancellations: For grotto bookings, any changes made will incur a £10 modification fee. You can avoid this by logging into or making an account at checkout, which will allow you to change your booking online free of charge. This applies to all grotto events.