We know how this sounds in August. But the December Saturdays are always the first to go, and the schools and companies that come to us in November tend to get the short end of the diary.
Whether it's a Christmas market on the high street, a school party in the hall, or the works do that needs to be better than last year's, the shape of it is usually the same: something to do, something to eat, and something to take home. The Christmas stock runs from small to very large to cover all three. There's our Santa's Grotto and the bigger Deluxe Santa's Grotto, Selfie Snow Globe photo pods, Reindeer Racing and Whack-a-Snowman, and a rodeo reindeer for anyone who fancies a laugh at the boss's expense. On the games side, the arcade games and the funfair classics work just as well under a marquee as they do in a hall, and the AI photo booth has earned its place as a Christmas item - last December it barely saw the warehouse between jobs.
There's the market side as well: wooden stall sets, fun food, themed inflatables and rides for the bigger winter events. Last December alone we served around 20,000 cups of hot chocolate across our Christmas bookings, with mini doughnuts, pretzels and warm sugar and cinnamon doughnuts going alongside. The smell alone is half the atmosphere at a Christmas market, and the grotto queue is where it gets drunk.
For a school fair, the combination that keeps coming back is the snow globe, a grotto and the hot chocolate - a queue for Santa, something for the parents to do while they wait, and warm hands on the way out. For a works do, the arcade games and the rodeo reindeer carry it, with the AI booth sending everyone home with the photos already on their phones.
Most of what we bring is our own kit, out of our warehouse in Rotherham, which means one crew delivering and setting up rather than a string of suppliers who've never met each other. It makes a difference on a cold morning when the market opens at nine. Last Christmas we ran a full event at Amazon's DSA2 site over in North Ferriby - children's rides, a grotto and the hot chocolate - with our crew running the lot. The office can talk through power, space and access when you ring, so nothing's a surprise on the day.
If you're putting on a Christmas market, a school party or a works do this December, get in touch with the office on 0114 345 0135 or have a look through the Christmas hire range. The earlier you book, the more there is to choose from.
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