Santa to arrive in Coleraine by speedboat!

In a break with tradition, the duo will take to the waterways instead of the air and will glide into The Crannagh complex at 1pm on Sunday December 4.

Santa explained: ”This year we’ve been discussing trying out a new form of transport and Rudolph, who’s a fan of water skiing in the Caribbean when he’s not working, suggested we give a speedboat a go and I thought….sure why not!

“That’s when we contacted Barry and Amanda and suggested we could maybe visit The Crannagh and say hello to all the boys and girls who’ve been extra good this year.

“We’re also bringing along Eddie the Elf who’s been working really hard to give him a day off before it gets crazy busy – but he’s insisting that he needs to do something so we’re setting him up to do some face painting for the young ones.

“Should be a great wee day – particularly when we’ve been fed afterwards. I’ve heard the food is great!”

Barry from The Crannagh said that he was “delighted” to help Santa and was looking forward to welcoming the festive visiters.

“I can’t wait to find out how the speedboat testing goes and what Rudolf thinks about maybe swapping over from the sleigh,” he added.

“I hear Santa loves turkey and ham and mince pies so we’ll make sure we have them available for him on the day – and of course we’ll have a few spare carrots for Rudolf too!

“I’m not sure what Eddie eats but we’ll have plenty of choice on the day.”

Santa, Rudolf and Eddie the Elf will be arriving at 1pm sharp and will return to the North Pole at 4pm to continue the preparations for Christmas Eve.