We've found Santa Claus in Leeds: where will you visit him in the lead-up to Christmas?
Wandering around Leeds trying to find Father Christmas sometimes feels like a game of Where's Wally.
Think about it.
They both dress in white and red, have hats and glasses. The two special characters also are extremely hard to find year-round.
Unfortunately, nobody will tell us where Wally really lives, but we have managed to get the lowdown from Santa's elves about the whereabouts of the big man in red himself.
Rumour has it he's actually living in Leeds and you can go and visit him before he gets on his sleigh and heads back to the North Pole to pick up all those Christmas presents.
Here's where you'll find Father Christmas around the city before the big day.
White Rose Shopping Centre
Since White Rose is essentially a giant present factory, it only seems fitting to find Santa here. Arriving this weekend, you can let the little ones tell Santa all about how great they've been before heading off for some Christmas shopping.
White Rose will have a resident Santa Claus from Friday 11 November - Saturday 24 December.
Stockeld Park
Magic is made and adventure begins in Santa's Grotto at Stockeld Park. / Image: Stockeld Park
The rustic cabin and twinkling lights at Stockeld Park make this Leeds location Santa's home-away-from-home but there's enough here for a full family day out. Get lost in the snowflake maze or gaze at the winter illuminations in the award-winning enchanted forest.
Father Christmas will be visiting from Saturday 19 November - Saturday 24 December, tickets from £13.
If you want the full Christmas experience, visiting Santa's Elf Village at Lotherton Hall is worth a visit. Their 'Under the Wishing Tree' experience lets the little ones meet all the elves under a magical wishing tree for story-time, collect magical reindeer food and post their letter to the North Pole before paying Santa Claus a visit.
Father Christmas will be visiting the Elf Village at Lotherton Hall from Saturday 26 November - Saturday 31 December, prices from £8.50.
Ackworth Garden Centre
Harpin's Christmas grotto is decked out with more festive gear than we knew existed, all in honour of the big man in red. Visit Santa at his grotto at Ackworth Garden Centre but don't forget to help him find all of his reindeer along the reindeer trail and grab a chocolate-flavoured reward if you can find them all. Once you've handed over your wishlist and saved Christmas by finding the reindeer, you can also choose your Christmas tree before heading home.
Santa Claus will be visiting Harpins, Ackworth Garden Centre from Saturday 3 December - Saturday 24 December, prices from £20.
Middleton Railway Santa Specials
Santa Specials run up and down the country, but this is your chance to meet Father Christmas onboard in Leeds. / Image: East Lancashire Railways
Didn't you know travelling by sleigh is so last year? With the price of petrol ever-increasing it appears that Father Christmas has been temporarily converted to travelling by train. From 9.15am - 3.45pm, get on the Santa Special at the world's oldest working railway and take advantage of the festive displays and seasonal drinks on offer.
Santa will be visiting Middleton Railway Station from Saturday 3 December - Saturday 24 December, tickets from £10.
A Leeds pizza takeaway has received a glowing review from popular review duo.
Edges Pizza opened up their first permanent spot in Leeds back in June this year, after making a name for themselves slinging out pizzas at multiple pop-ups across the city.
Owners Grace and Edge from Harrogate opened Edges Pizza two years ago, taking inspiration from trips to New York over the years.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Their pizzas are a love letter to the class New York slice, think thin and crispy rather than chewy and floppy. But above all else, think absolutely delicious.
And now, they've caught the attention of a major review page, with Bite Twice Food Reviews (a page with almost 300k followers) paying Edges a visit.
The food review duo of Gerry del Guercio and Paul Delany popped up in Holbeck beneath the arches to get their hands on a pizza, and the outcome is brilliant.
In the video, Bite Twice said that the pizza is 'f**cking exceptional' and up there with 'one of the best pizzas in the UK'.
Before even taking a bite, they said: "On aesthetic, I don't think anywhere in the UK is doing pizza like this".
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Then after the first bite, they go on to say: "There are very few pizzas in the UK that create this, I’m a little bit blown away".
As Londoners themselves, they go on to say that Edges is 'easily hitting with the best that we’ve got down south'.
And if that's not high praise enough, they sign off the video saying: "Leeds has got an absolute gem. I give this a stamp so hard my foot went through the pizza. Edges. Don Level."
Yorkshire-set Christmas film by Leeds director starring Richard E. Grant set to hit UK cinemas next month
Clementine Hall
A brand-new Christmas film is hitting cinemas nationwide next month - and it’s a proper Leeds success story.
Jack Spring directed his first feature film at just 19 years old and has spent the last decade carving out a career in independent film, as well as co-founding Leeds-based production company Shush Films.
His first movie, Destination: Dewsbury, was shot just down the road in - you guessed it - Dewsbury. And after moving to Leeds from Grimsby, Jack became determined to build his business from the city, putting down roots and growing his production company here.
Image: Supplied
Now, after years of working on independent projects, Jack has taken his biggest leap yet with a brand-new Christmas film, Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint.
Set in Yorkshire, Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint follows Aubrey Flint, a reclusive model soldier painter with a lifelong hatred of Christmas, who is sentenced to community service at Willow Lodge - a retirement home on the brink of closure.
Roped into helping with a chaotic production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Aubrey clashes with its interesting set of residents...
And the cast is about as star-studded as it gets, featuring Richard E. Grant, John Bradley, Celia Imrie, Adjoa Andoh, Sophia Di Martino, Adrian Rawlins and Kiell Smith-Bynoe.
Image: Supplied
The heartwarming festive comedy will hit cinemas nationwide on Friday 6 November - a huge milestone for a Leeds-based director and production company, taking a homegrown Yorkshire story to audiences across the country.
You just can't beat a proper wholesome British Christmas film, so you can best believe we'll be watching in the cinema, popcorn in hand.
Sophie Smith -
30th November 2022 
