Our Exclusive Interview With Santa!

To our VisitEastbourne fans… you’ve stuck by us all year round through scorching heat waves and the December wind and rain, so here’s our Christmas gift to all you good girls and boys – an exclusive interview with the man himself…  Santa Claus!

Santa, we are delighted you are taking time out of your busy pre-Christmas schedule to talk to us today.  You must be busy at your Christmas Cottage in Drusillas Park, how’s it all going?

Everything is going very merrily indeed. I have a lot of help from my elves and we are having a lovely time meeting all the boys and girls at Drusillas Park and finding out what they would like for Christmas. My Cottage is bursting with presents the elves have made ready for delivery on Christmas Eve and children can sit on my sleigh, which is parked just outside, to have their photo taken.

Have the people of Eastbourne been good this year?

Yes, Eastbourne has such a wonderful community spirit I think you’ve all been amazing this year.  Your Santa Fun Run event for charity tickled me greatly, what fun I had jogging along! And your 12 days of Christmas Competition was a great celebration and I was happy to supply the gifts early - it’s so important at Christmas time to celebrate what we have, and to help those in need.

Your team of reindeer must be getting ready for their big trip on Christmas Eve, how do you prepare them?

Like all animals, it is very important that I care for my reindeers properly to ensure they remain happy and healthy; after all they have a very important job to do!

I always make sure they are well fed and have plenty of fresh water and during December I give them extra helpings of grass, moss, birch and willow leaves to help them through the long night on the 24th December.

My pre-flight checks involve a thorough look at their antlers and hooves! After Christmas male reindeers lose their antlers before new ones grow back again for next year. During the winter months, their hoof pads also shrink and tighten to help with the cold conditions…and reduce slipping on rooftops!

What other animals live near your main home at the North pole?

 When I’m back home at the North Pole, I see a whole host of other wildlife, including polar bears, seals, whales, arctic foxes, arctic wolves and sometimes the beautiful snowy owl, like the two at Drusillas. I have to come to the zoo though to see penguins - they live in the South Pole which lots of people don’t realise!

Do you have any special gifts for the people of Eastbourne?

Next year is going to be very exciting indeed as we have another great list of events planned with Magnificent Motors, Carnival, Tennis, Extreme, Airbourne, two beer events and much more!

How do you celebrate on Christmas Day?

Well delivering presents all around the world is quite exhausting, so I always have a little nap and feed the reindeer when I get home.  I’m usually refreshed by mid morning, so with a little Santa magic, I might take Mrs Claus to the free Christmas Day concert at the Redoubt Fortress for some festive singing and dancing.

What festive gifts will you and Mrs Claus be getting each other this year?

I have a book on Eastbourne History for Mrs Claus as she is very excited to go to the new Ancestors Exhibition at the Pavilion in February. She’ll be ready to see the fascinating reconstructions and findings that the Ancestors team have uncovered.

I’m hoping for panto tickets to see Aladdin at the Devonshire Park Theatre – the evil Abanazaar is being a bit greedy wanting the magic lamp, so he won’t be getting any Christmas presents this year!

What’s your favourite Christmas Film?

It’s got to be White Christmas, I try and watch it every year but I am extra excited this year as the stage version is on at the Royal Hippodrome Theatre! Opening on 19 December and running to 4 January, the show is based on the paramount film and includes some fantastic festive cheer and songs, including the famous ‘White Christmas’. I can’t wait!

Thank you Santa for taking the time to talk to us, before we go - any special requests?

A mince pie or two and a carrot for Rudolph would be lovely, however the most important thing is for you all to have a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends, help those around you and celebrate your wonderful town of Eastbourne!

Merry Christmas Santa!

Visit Santa in his Christmas Cottage at Drusillas Park between now and 23 December, open from 10am to 5pm each day.

Drusillas Lights Up Our Festive Season

We’re blessed in Eastbourne with so much festive fun on offer, but a Christmas highlight not to be missed in your busy December diary is the fantastic Winter Wonderland at Drusillas Park!

With the kids getting so excited already before Christmas its getting tricky to keep them amused each day, but a day out at this stunning South Downs attraction is a sure fire way to keep them out of trouble.

Sunbathing Meerkats!

On a crisp but sunny winters day, we began our mission looking out for our favourite animals with the kids stamping their Animal Spotter Books with much gusto.  Monkeys, lemurs, snakes, owls, servals, flamingos and even a Red Panda were all favourites, along with the all-singing Mokomos Jungle Rock.

Great entertainment was on offer at the meerkat enclosure with the loveable creatures sunbathing and swinging on the sunlamp, much to the delight of the gathering audience.

Spectacular views of the penguins

The penguins were on fine form too with both the Humboldt and Rockhopper penguins taking a dip, giving us the most fantastic underwater views from behind the viewing window.

After an adventure play-stop at Go Wild and Go Bananas, a ride on Thomas the Tank Engine is always a must and after stopping off for hot donuts we climbed aboard this iconic engine for our leisurely trip around the park, with a lovely festive surprise in the railway tunnel.

Thomas keeps warm in cosy earmuffs!

However the highlight of the afternoon was still to come and with the audience building, the events arena was alive with anticipation.  Excited children were guided in to meet the man of the moment in Santa’s Christmas Cottage, and there were photo opportunities galore outside with children climbing aboard his sleigh.  Then a fantastic surprise for us as we turned around to see the adorable huskies, enjoying a hug from their fans in the audience.

Then a final countdown brought the most amazing turn out and a 30 minute lightshow sprang into life, all synchronised to our fave festive hits!  Set in an ice-capped kingdom, reindeers, penguins, seals and polar bears all lit up alongside trees and a stunning LED waterfall, all in tune to the music and an animation shown on the big screen.

An amazing show!

Winter Wonderland has been a huge success for Drusillas and with the promise of the brand new Hello Kitty Secret Garden opening in Spring 2014, children can look forward to even more fun with three new theme park rides.

Winter Wonderland continues until Sunday 5 January with a lightshow at 4.30pm each day.  Hug a Husky returns from 1 – 5pm every weekend in the Ice Cave and then daily from 19 - 23 December.  Meet Santa in his Christmas Cottage every weekend and then daily from 14 – 23 December.

For more info visit www.drusillas.co.uk

Merry Christmas everyone and enjoy lots of festive fun!

Tracey

Drusillas Festive Facts…

Between 60,000 and 70,000 LED lights are used to create the 30 minute festive lightshow, which took 3 weeks to build.

Huskies are found in the arctic and northern regions and are one of the oldest types of breed of dog in the world

Snowy Owls are found in the Arctic, their mottled feathers camouflage them against snowy tundra. 

Humboldt penguins, one of the rarest species of penguin in the world, all have a different pattern of markings on their chest, just like human fingerprints.