As a child my parents would take me to a place that I always thought was absolute magic - The Christmas Grotto. First launched in 2001 at Southwest Baptist Church, thanks to the creative minds of Edward Warrington and Linda Hills.
I can still recall the feeling of awe walking into Santa's Workshop, trying to wrap my head around how the presents were being made so fast. The air was filled with an energy you can't really replicate anywhere else except maybe Disneyland.
In 2016 the grotto went on hiatus, and it was a sad loss, so when I saw that this year the grotto was making a comeback, I immediately hit them up to offer a promotional video to celebrate the return.
They took me up on the offer and Rachel and I had the privellage to get a sneak peak at their work before opening day, and boy oh boy was that one heck of a nostalgia trip. The hundreds of candy canes, the three wise men played by teddy bears, it was all back, and I was very excited.
One particular challenge we faced while shooting was making sure we didn't spoil the magic, and that meant avoiding parts they hadn't quite finished yet and getting out of peoples way as they worked hard to get things together as quick as they could. I was very happy with our final result, and a shoutout to the Russell Family for joining us for the shoot so we could capture the look on your adorable kids faces!
Thank you to Jo Taylor for the opportunity to support the grotto, we look forward to coming back to visit every year!
Merry Christmas from The Temperos!
