So I've been working in Bluewater shopping centre - one of our counties biggest shopping centre's - for about a month now. I've applied to work in Grotto's for maybe 3 or 4 years in a row. This year was the first time I got an audition for a Grotto position at my local shopping Centre, however, I didn't get the part. 😔 Although, that ended up better in my favor! Two or three weeks after I failed that audition, one of the managers from the Bluewater grotto I applied for contacted me and asked if I was still interested in the position and I accepted. 🤗
Unlike most Grottos where parents and children line up and see Father Christmas in a small little hut/shed/house in the middle of a shopping centre, this one has five rooms, one being the cabin and a panto first before reaching Father Christmas' cabin.
I play as an elf 🧝🏼♀️ in both the panto and as Santa's helper in his cabin with him.
(This is one of my elf costumes. I'm Reeses Peanut Buttercup, Santa's favorite elf from the Realm of sweets.)
The theme this year is The Nut Cracker. On the panto side, I was originally supposed to also play the Sugar Plumb Fairy. Sadly, their costume was too small for me 🙄. My bum won't fit in the skirt and my boobs wont fit in the top, so I had to be taken out of that role and it's been given to the smaller girls (makes one feel good about their fat butt, does't it?).
In each room (realm), I'm given a different name and costume. I'm Reeses the elf in the Realm of Sweets and Carols the elf in the cabin.
(Here I'm in Father Christmas's cabin as Carols the elf) 🎅🏻
So far, it's been a lot of fun and great entertaining both the children from newborns to teenagers and their parents and grandparents. Seeing some of their faces light up when we hand them a present in the cabin or talking with them in the panto. It's a great experience all around and I hope I and the rest of the team give them a great time and a very merry Christmas!