Having read Karin's post today at Cafe Bebe about the failure of her toddler's visit to Santa its made me look back on previous visits to Santa over the years. As she said why do we force our children to go into a small dark room with a total stranger in a beard and expect them not to freak!
I remember my step daughter at rising 4 being petrified of Santa at her big brothers' school Christmas fair. When my own daughter was 2 I dutifully queued up with her to visit Santa in the grotto at Hastings Priory Meadow. She screamed on getting in and I had to make a sharp exit - the elf had to follow with her present! The next year we went to Santa in Debenhams instead as he was on the shop floor and not in a semi dark room - at 3 she found this non-scary. Her little brother has never been phased by Santa but then again he has always had his sister with him exuding confidence.
Tonight was a Christmas disco in the village and Santa came to call. My kids eagerly lined up to go see him though my son chose to hold his sister's hand in the queue. When it was my daughter's turn she insisted that her brother came in too:
So at what age do you think its good to take your kids to see Santa?
