We went to Lapland UK in 2016 when Daisy was 2 years old and Harry was 5 years old, (here is our 2016 Lapland UK review) and the children couldn't contain their excitement that they had been invited to Lapland AGAIN and this time with their baby brother Oliver, 10 months. With Daisy now 4 and Harry 7 I wondered how the experience would differ for them this time.
Lapland UK is located in Ascot. For more details and to book visit www.laplanduk.co.uk
This time the children knew what to expect and they instantly started getting excited about ice skating, biscuit decorating, meeting the huskies and of course Father Christmas himself! I was surprised how much Daisy could remember from our last visit as she was only 2. The children wondered what toy they would be making this year to help the elves and if Father Christmas would give them a toy husky like last time.
We only told the children about the visit the day before we went so we had two very excited children heading to bed! Oliver was obviously too young to join in the excitement, but we couldn't wait to start making Christmas memories with him for his first Christmas.
Lapland UK Review
On the morning of our visit to LaplandUK we collected up our invites and drove the 2 hour drive to Ascot with 3 excited children. We had booked our tour for 1pm which worked out perfectly.
Daisy decided that it was very important that her baby doll met Father Christmas so you might spot her doll (minus her clothes) in some of the photos! I love this age!
On arrival we collected our elf jingles (the money used in the elf village), our elf passports and the children were also given colouring books for helping the elves on our last visit, which I thought was a nice extra touch. We were then given our group stickers, this time we were reindeers.
As we waited in the cafe for our allotted time an elf came and sat at our table with us and chatted to the children about Christmas. When our time came we went through a passageway full of fairy lights to a room with benches. Once everyone had sat down the elves came and entertained the children by telling them a little about Lapland UK and where elves come from. Then they opened the doors to Lapland!
When the doors are opened it's like you are transported to a magical land full of snow covered trees and pathways. Of course the snow is fake, but that doesnt take away from the magic as those doors are opened.
We followed a short snowy pathway to the elf workshop where the children had a very important job to do! Father Christmas had too many toys left to make and needed the children's help.
There are 2 door to the elf workshop, one for big folk and one for small folk. Harry and Daisy quickly went through the door for small folk and found a bench together in the workshop near the front. It was lovely to see how much more confident they were compared to our previous visit. Oliver sat with us at the edge of the room where there are benches for the adults. He then joined Harry and Daisy for the toy making.
Once all of the children had sat down at the benches in the elf workshop the elves talked to the children about the toys they want them to make. There was also time for an elf song which everyone was encouraged to join in with, which Oliver LOVED!
Last time we made a wooden bear and cuddly reindeer, this time there was only one toy to make, a cuddly penguin. The children were each handed a box full of all the parts needed to make the toys. Once they had made their toys they had to take them to the elves at the front of the elf workshop ready to be delivered to all the girls and boys on Christmas Eve.
After making the toys for Father Christmas we followed our group leaders along the snowy pathways to Mrs Claus' kitchen where the children made gingerbread men. All the kids loved smothering their gingerbread men with icing and then filling them with sweets.
The time spent in Mrs Claus' kitchen is as lovely as I remembered it from last time, lots of songs, storytime and photo opportunities! Whilst all the children were sat down Mrs Claus had a letter arrive which said all the children had done really well whilst making the toys and there would be a surprise for them that Father christmas would give them.
The children later discovered that they earn't their bell and Father Christmas gave it to them when he met them. This was a lovely added touch that was different from our previous visit.
Once we had made our gingerbread men we had an hour and a half in the elf village before we went to meet Father Christmas. The children were so excited as they ran along the snowy paths towards the elf village. They had remembered lots of the activities from last time and they couldn't wait to go ice skating.
We were a bit rusty when we first got onto the ice having not been ice skating for a while, but we quickly got the hang of it and were managing to get around the ice without the penguin aids before we finished.
When we first started ice skating the ice rink was busy as I think a lot of people must have headed straight to the ice skating like we did, but it quietened down as time went on. Ice skating was the only part of the day Oliver couldn't join in with so myself and my husband John took it in turns ice skating with Harry and Daisy.
The ice skating is in the centre of the elf village and creates the perfect atmosphere. There is Christmas music playing, snow covered trees and elves wandering around that never step out of character.
The children loved meeting pixie mixie before going into her sweet shop.
Daisy loves animals so she was desperate to find the huskies that we had met on our previous visit. The husky we met was really friendly so the children loved stroking him.
With not long left to go before our allotted time to see Father Christmas we realised we hadn't yet visited the post office! The children each wrote a letter to Santa and we posted them and got our elf passports stamped. We had already previously written our main letters to Father Christmas, but Daisy though this was a great time to ask for something new and Harry wanted to write a letter asking father Christmas some questions.
Outside of the post office are some bells which the children loved playing with, especially Oliver.
The final part of the day was the most magical and one of the things that makes this magical experience such a memorable day. We followed lots of snowy pathways which led us to Father Christmas's reindeer and sleigh and then into a room where we waited for an elf to take us to see Father Christmas.
The elf took the children through the snowy pathways, chatting to them as they went whilst we tried to keep up!
It was getting dark by the time we go to this part of the experience which made it seem extra magical!
The elf told the children to wait outside Father Christmas's house whilst she checked if he was ready, then after an elf wave or two she led us inside to see Father Christmas.
The children were each given their bells for doing a good job in the elf workshop and Father Christmas showed them their names in the good book.
The experience was finished by each of the children receiving a toy husky dog to take home. The husky dogs were different from the last time we went and Father Christmas made a point of mentioning the previous husky dogs they had been given.
The attention to all these details is what makes Lapland UK such a magical and memorable place for a Christmas day out. We loved it as much (if not more) the second time as we did the first and we now have some beautiful family memories of Oliver's first Christmas. He must have really loved it as he didn't nap or cry all day!
Disclosure: Thank you so much to Lapland UK for sending us tickets for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
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