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14th Dec 2021

Father left fuming after splashing out on “shambolic” Santa experience

Kat O'Connor

“We felt really ripped off”

A father has called out a Santa experience after his little girl left empty-handed.

He said he spent £42 on a ticket to meet Santa but was stunned when his daughter was told there were no gifts.

He explained to Yorkshire Live that he wanted to make sure his daughter had a memorable day out.

“Every time I’ve seen Santa as a kid, one of the memories is that you get a gift. As parents, these moments are the ones you cherish for the rest of your life.

“To not have that opportunity was so disappointing,” he said.

The dad explained he travelled quite the distance to attend The Piece Hall in Halifax.

https://twitter.com/leonrushworth/status/1467129316978962439

“People save up for days like this because it’s such a magical day, or it’s supposed to be. They ruined a bit of the magic of Christmas.”

The dad said the Santa experience was described as a “never before seen show”. Guests would be “welcomed on a magical journey of storytelling and festive imagination”.

However, it certainly didn’t live up to the family’s expectations.

Dad Joe admitted that it was all a huge waste of time and the event had very little festive cheer.’

He said when they entered Santa’s cabin a staff member decided to tell the children that they wouldn’t be given a gift.

“Everyone was just sat there, and the kids just had two minutes to tell him what they wanted for Christmas. When we got in the room, the woman told us there are presents everywhere but they won’t be getting presents today.

“She just said that to everyone. Even the kids,” the dad added.

“We’ve never seen anything like this before.”

It’ll come as no surprise to learn that the festive experience has been cancelled.