Enjoy a magical day out with Santa down at the farm

A fabulous blend of traditional and modern and magical Christmas experiences awaits visitors to rural attraction, Down At the Farm, at Houghton-le-Spring near Sunderland, where the perfect family Christmas day out has been devised.

A working barn has been lavishly converted into a winter wonderland for children of all ages, with superb decoration and design supporting a 1.5 hour experience that will leave a tear in the eye when it’s time to leave.

The farm has spared no expense to make this a not-to-be-missed, pre-Christmas treat, for all members of the family. Animal lovers will relish seeing live animals in a nativity area, real reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh and the stunning Silver the donkey.

Children will have lots to do prior to their meeting with Santa, as his polar post office always needs lots of temporary elves to keep it ticking. Letters to the genial gentleman can also be penned and posted in the Down at the Farm box.

The meeting with Santa follows a walk through the imaginatively decorated barn, where twinkling lights mix with icicles, to give a magical Arctic feel. Santa knows the name of every child coming to see him and has a present or two up his sleeve for all the children who come to whisper what they would like him to bring on Christmas morning.

Once they have met Santa and said hello to all the animals, families can wander around the rest of the farm attraction at their leisure. Hot chocolate and other warming delights will be available, to make this a day full of Christmas cheer.

This Christmas experience is one of the best in the North, so needs to be pre-booked. The experiences are running on December 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 and tickets cost £6 for children and £4 for adults. Visit downatthefarm.co.uk for more details.