The magic of Christmas found again through our son.

Please don't think me a scrooge, but for a very long time the "magic" of Christmas had gone. It had left me long ago, I don't remember exactly when, probably mid-teens, but as I grew up Christmas became less about dreams, wishes and magic and more about over eating, drinking too much and more importantly a few days off work.

Like I said, I'm no scrooge, I love spending time with family and friends at this time if year, but it took 1/2pint to rekindle the magic that had long been lost.

We took him to Ogof Sion Corn, which is actually Welsh for Santa Claus' cave.... Which somehow they translated in to Santa's Toy mine!! At best it's Santa's Grotto, but we won't go there....

Wales has a deep (no pun intended) history of coal mining, more info can be found HERE

The mine was once the lifeblood of most Welsh villages. The Rhondda Valley was particularly rich in coal fields and so mines and villages sprung up all over the place. Those days are long gone, but the super structures of the "pit-heads" and other buildings can still be found scattered all around the valleys.

Some mines such as "Big-pit" and "Rhondda Heritage Park" have been turned into tourist attractions to try and not only keep the history of the mines alive, but also give ex-miners the chance of still earning a living.

At this time of the year the Rhondda Heritage Park (RHP) puts a lot of effort into turning the old mine into a winter wonderland and toy mine.

For a small fee (of course) you can take a trip through the toy mine, finding out where the naughty Elves sleep and work:

walk through the underground snow storm:

before finally making it to Santa's House:

The jolly, old, fat man tells the story of Christmas and why he brings presents to all the good girls and boys of the world. What ever magic he has, definitely worked on 1/2pint.... I've never seen him sit so still, for so long, and so quiet!

Seeing the smile on his face as we waited to our turn to speak to the big man was worth every penny and more.

Seeing the look in 1/2pints eyes has definitely made this Christmas even more special. He turned 4 a few weeks ago, and this is the first Christmas where he really gets it!! I hope that for the next few years at least, we can continue to experience Christmas through his eyes.