16 Nov The Magic of Christmas at Lapland UK
The spirit of Christmas is most definitely high in the sky as soon as the doors to Lapland UK open. From the moment you arrive it almost feels like you’ve been transported into a magical, enchanted land and wow – what a moment. If there was any doubt about Father Christmas being real, you will soon restore all belief and plant it back deeply within the soul. Cherubs’ Editor Sevim had the privilege of meeting the masters behind it all, Mike and Alison Battle aka Mr and Mrs Lapland.
We caught up with them to find out just how these parents of four boys came to start the UK’s most magical, festive experience.
As a mother myself, starting your own business is somewhat challenging and extremely petrifying! As parents to four young boys at the time, how did you come up with this idea? In fact, I am in awe of you both, where did you get the time?
Our journey to the LaplandUK experience started with a profound frustration at the overt commerciality and trivialisation of Christmas and value placed on a child’s belief in Father Christmas. With four children and Alison a primary teacher, we wanted to really revel in this precious time of childhood wonder and spent many years touring the country trying to find an authentic, truly magical Christmas experience that reflected the value we placed on our children’s innocent belief, but we simply couldn’t. Like everyone else, we were forced to queue in a retail shop for hours with small children (in the hope we might buy a television or similar on the way out) for a disappointing and average experience.
We decided something had to be done to challenge this status quo; if there wasn’t an amazing, immersive Father Christmas experience in the UK for families, we’d create one and base it on our own original stories that we had been telling our boys at Christmas time. So, we left our jobs – Alison was a primary school teacher and Mike a hedge fund manager – and LaplandUK was born.
It was very important for you both to create this quality experience in a magical world rich in storytelling. Tell us more about your books, The Untold Story of Father Christmas and The Secrets of the Christmas Elves and why is it so important for the Small Folk to know about this very special couple who are known to the world as Mother & Father Christmas and the world they inhabit?
The LaplandUK experience brings our foundation stories, characters and world to life. The Untold Story of Father Christmas and The Secrets of The Christmas Elves tell how a humble toymaker and his wife came to be known as Father and Mother Christmas to children all over the world, and answer the question every child wants to know of why they make and deliver toys on Christmas Eve. The stories introduce children to a secret civilisation of elves and have an environmental message linked to the future well-being of the planet and a child’s part in helping preserve it.
We hope these foundational stories will enrich and shape a generation of childhood belief, elevating Christmas to its rightful place and filling a narrative gap in popular culture.
There is nothing in the world that celebrates childhood belief on the scale and quality of LaplandUK. To suspend the disbelief of adults and children alike, the experience must be believable and authentic. We work with the very best crew, artists, designers, costume makers and production professionals, all of whom have an obsessive attention to detail to craft our world – the mythical world of Father Christmas, that is accessible right here in the UK. No expense is spared to provide an environment that connects parents with their children in the most beautiful way; it is a unique and special experience, personalised to every child that visits.
For those that haven’t heard of LaplandUK what can they expect?
‘Lapland’ is unique, a magical world of wonder, depth and charm that introduces the visitor to the legendary home of Father Christmas and the elven civilization.
It’s a multisensory, theatrical immersive experience, based on our original storytelling and brought to life in a beautifully crafted four-hour experience that employs the most talented professionals in the industry to produce an authentic world of exceptional quality.
Having received a personalised invitation from Father Christmas in the post, children are taken on a magical journey through a secret doorway into Lapland where their help is needed in Father Christmas’ toy factory and Mother Christmas’ kitchen. In the Elven Village, families are immersed in the storytelling world of Lapland, as elves including Treehigh, Pixie Mixie, Elva and Conker are busy preparing for Christmas, while the ice rink and huskies are always hugely popular. Further into the forest, more surprises await until families finally arrive at the home of Father Christmas for their personalised, unforgettable meeting.
You have four, wonderful boys who have been part of this enchanting journey from the get-go. Allowing thousands of families from all across the land to have this magical, unforgettable experience year after year must be an amazing feeling. Can you describe it?
Our boys were the inspiration behind the idea so it’s incredibly special that they have grown up with LaplandUK being such a large part of their lives. All the boys have worked in the business over the years; we trust them implicitly to represent LaplandUK as we do ourselves and it’s a huge joy for us to have the boys so close. As a family ourselves, we completely understand and respect the trust parents place in us to protect their children’s belief and create magical memories to cherish once those beautiful fleeting years of innocence have passed. It’s an absolute privilege to play a part in shaping childhood dreams and we feel the luckiest family in the world to inhabit such a magical world.
Mr and Mrs Lapland, it was my absolute pleasure. It’s been really inspirational to talk with you and I cannot wait to experience Lapland UK with my little family this year – it’s hard to tell who is going to be more excited.
Socials: @laplandUK @mrandmrslapland Website: laplanduk.co.uk