'My kids met the real Santa at Bluestone's Kingdom of the Elves – a magic Christmas trip'
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As a dutiful dad-of-two, I've met my fair share of Santas, both good and bad. It's safe to say not all Father Christmases are of the same standard. Something that hasn't escaped my nine-year-old daughter, who will always comment on a dodgy fake beard or half-hearted 'Ho Ho Ho'.
With customary cunning, my wife has brilliantly explained away these subpar St Nicks - the big man can't personally visit every shopping centre in the UK in the lead up to Christmas. To be fair, he's a tad busy this time of year. So sometimes he has to send others to stand in his place - an explanation my daughter and seven-year-old son have seemingly accepted as entirely logical.
But this past weekend at Bluestone National Park Resort in Pembrokeshire, Wales, aka the 'Kingdom of the Elves' from November 4 to January 2, was different. Why? Because we saw the real deal!. Arriving in darkness on a Friday night, we entered the site's Serendome, an open air entertainment, dining and activity centre sheltered by a huge umbrella roof, which has been transformed into a wondrous Snow Dome with beautiful lights, decorations and Christmas trees.
We were met by a hilarious elf who told the children he'd transport us to Santa’s Lodge. But not before his pointy-eared friend secretly handed my wife a tablet and asked her to quickly fill in a form and answer a couple of questions. Only a short while later, Santa welcomed his two young guests by name — asking our son whether he's been enjoying going swimming with his grandad and quizzing our open-mouthed daughter about how it's her little cousin's first Christmas. He even said she could take an extra present for her cousin.