So, January is always tough…dismantling the Grotto isn’t half as fun as putting it up! But between packing up the baubles and stowing our Polar Bears safely away for another year, it’s been a perfect time for reflection on what was a magnificent 2022 grotto season.
Things felt different this year. Looking at our humble beginnings in 2018 its almost unbelievable to see how much we’ve grown! This year was a first, as we made a change and introduced a bespoke booking system with tiered pricing and new add-on’s.
‘The Comet’ and ‘The Blitzen’ offerings definitely found their audiences, with both being extremely popular. ‘The Comet’, our regular offering, sold out in a matter of weeks, whilst those who craved an enhanced dose of magic chose ‘The Blitzen’ our VIP package which included a beautiful Christmas gift package sent out in the post ahead of the visit itself.
As always, it was a joy to receive the social media notifications when our visitors tagged us in their posts showcasing their wooden postcard invites or their brown paper wrapped gift packages, freshly stamped from the North Pole and delivered by the postman (I’m not going to dwell on the stress that the postal strikes caused, that nearly warranted it’s own blog post, but it’s in the past now!).
Another HUGE moment for me personally this year, was the delivery of our very first book. “The Little Things Christmas Story’ book was a tale that I just had to share with you all. Last year I was questioned by one of my daughter’s friends as to why Santa chooses to visit us here in our charming little barn, so as a reply, our storybook was born. It was a real delight working on the book, and to finally see the words and whimsical images printed in to life was really something! A huge thank you to Charlotte Heather for her incredible watercolours which captured the essence of the story to perfection.
The storybook also became the main inspiration for the layout of the Grotto itself this year. Arriving in a frozen wonderland, the polar bears and penguins greeted our families in a snowy landscape where floating bubbles and silver mirrors reflected icy hues of blue and green, before journeying over the wooden footbridge through in to the fairy forest.
The fairies play a huge role in our tale, as they are the magical beings who protect the secret entrance to the North Pole. This year the fairy forest was buzzing with wings, flying between the pretty roses, enchanted mushrooms and their unicorn friends. The real magic began as the entrance to the North Pole revealed itself, through a haze of scented smoke. The iridescent portal, laden with fairy friends and crystal jewels, beckoned our special visitors to enter in to the North Pole.
Through the smoke, billowing branches appeared, adorned with emerald and sapphire flowers, littered amongst the dozens of fairy lights. Guests may have heard about the arrival of a new addition, a reindeer baby, which put our Reindeer sleigh pulling team in jeopardy (a new mother needs her rest after all!). So, our guests were witness to some fairy spells, as an enchanted rocking horse took to the skies with the sleigh in tow, a test run in case the reindeers weren’t ready!
It was around this point that Santa Claus would appear, accompanied by Mrs Claus (who makes sure everything is in order!). From here on in laughter, jokes, stories and fun would fill the pine scented air! The children gasped as Santa entered his office and reeled off the names of their friends, whilst Mrs Claus would ask how their pet is doing, or congratulate them on their achievements for the year. Santa was also partial to picking up the phone to call Bryan, his chief toy maker elf, to find out how the production line was going for this year’s gift requests.
Each and every visit was unique, and the experience like no other! When the children came back to the Stable shop and shared their experience with us, we would laugh, be shocked, and sometimes very intrigued by the stories of what had happened in the grotto. Honestly, the children’s faces were golden and glowing – it makes our year!
Each child would proudly showcase their named tree trinket gift, magic key and of course, their ‘Good List’ rosette. Most of which were proudly displayed in their bedrooms or on their Christmas trees when they got home (again, we love the Instagram/facebook tags!).
Our Stable Shop was always full of so many stories, so many smiles, and lots of festive purchases (thank you!), alongside some bitterly cold weather! Thank you SO much to those of you who braved the ice and snow to visit us, it really was arctic at times.
So, what about this year I hear you cry? Well, you’ll be pleased to know, that after many requests our dates will be released earlier this year. Our 2022 guests will get priority booking to thank them for their loyalty, before the tickets go on sale to the general public. We are already working on this now, so please keep an eye on your inboxes over the next month.
We’re off to enjoy some Christmas buying next month too, which is also hugely inspirational for our next grotto build. Of course, we have to run our ideas past Santa first to ensure that he is happy with them, but my head is already full of ideas and new additions.
On top of that, I’m also excited to be working on our second ‘Little Things Story’ book. It’s such an incredible privilege to be told that our first story has been shared so lovingly with your little ones at storytime and bedtime. I really hope that we’re helping to plant seeds of imagination, Christmas joy and unwavering belief in all things magical in to your little one’s precious minds. We don’t take that for granted at all. It’s a precious time, it can also be a short time, so we hope that we can help to create lasting memories for you and your families. Seeing the grotto become a ‘tradition’ for so many of you makes my heart so happy.
So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. We appreciate each and every one of you who visits and we are counting down the days until we’re back with some more ‘little things’ Christmas joy.
With love and all things sparkly,
Clare
(aka Clarey Fairy)
P.S We would be SO grateful if those of you who visited you could leave us Facebook/Google review. Thank you!
