Santa's Grotto
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Santa's Grotto, known as Santa's Workshop in the United States, is the mythological workshop where Santa Claus makes the toys and presents given out at Christmas.
In the 20th century it became common during December in large shops or department stores to have a "cavern" in which an actor dressed up as Santa Claus to give gifts to children. Grottos can be large-walk through fantasy cavern-like areas incorporating animatronic characters such as elves and pantomime characters. This tradition started in Australia in the 1890s and then extended early in 20th Century to British and American department stores seeking to attract customers.
In Adelaide, South Australia, the first "Magic Cave" was set up in 1896 at the John Martin's department store on Rundle Street. An annual store-sponsored parade Adelaide Christmas Pageant was initiated in 1933 during which Father Christmas was conducted to the Magic Cave to formally herald the holiday season. Since the closure of John Martin's, the David Jones stores, the world's oldest department store chain (est. 1838) still operating under the same name, have continued the tradition of the Magic Cave, in Adelaide as well as in other Australian capitals while the annual South Australia parade marked its 75th anniversary in 2007.
Nowadays department stores and shopping centres in the UK still host Santa's Grottos. It is traditional that the children receive a toy from Father Christmas upon visiting his Grotto be it in a shopping mall or a little garden centre. Grottos are sometimes free and sometimes they charge parents around £3.50 (sometimes more) to let their kids see Santa and receive a surprise gift.
It is well known that often the gifts children get from Santa in Grottos aren't the best toys available, being mostly cheap plastic toys that kids get bored with quite quickly. This is often the case to keep the cost of Grottos down.
