Like most people, if they are honest, my wife loves the 'magic of Christmas' and especially all the decorations both inside and outdoors. For instance one of her favourite venues is the Osborne Lights at Disney World Fl.
For the last two years and other years in the past we have been in Florida in November/December and have enjoyed seeing all the Christmas decorations as well as enjoying warm and sunny weather. This year we visited Florida in September/October and now we are missing being there at this time of year.
To compensate I started looking at what Christmas related events were being organised near us in the U.K. One of the many treasures we have in this country are our Stately Homes and historic houses/mansions. Many of them go out of their way to decorate the home as they would have been in the 19th Century, the period when the Christmas we know today was introduced.
I looked on the internet to see if there was a house near us that was holding such event; I saw that Shugborough Hall was holding a Christmas Fayre and lighting the hall by candlelight between 28th and 30th November. Just the job! I pre-booked tickets and we visited on Friday 28th.
The decorated rooms in the house were fantastic, everything we could have imagined. The staff and event organisers had obviously worked hard and imaginatively to decorate the rooms in a festive manner.
If that is all that had been offered then we would have come away very satisfied.
However, there was the promise of a Christmas Fayre: fortunately, or, as in this case, unfortunately, I have an active imagination and I had imagined what the stalls comprising the Fayre might look like. What I had imagined was a few stalls, set up in the house itself, selling unusual, tasteful goods biased towards the festive season.
In reality it was nothing like that at all. The Fayre was held in a gigantic marquee erected in front of the Hall. It seemed to me that there were around one hundred stalls, certainly there were very many. However, less than 20% of them had a Christmas theme. Most them were stalls selling goods that you would find at any small town market at anytime during the year.
In itself that is not a problem. The event was very well attended and I guess many of the people there new exactly what to expect because they had been to similar events before.
I would assume that they were not disappointed.
It is just that the fayre aspect of the event did not equate to what my wife an I had imagined.
The fault. if there is one, lies with us.
As I say the Candlelit Hall was a delight and all credit to those who prepared it.
Here are a few photos from the event -
http://travelling-with-nick.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/travelling-with-nick-index-page.html
http://twincam-serendipity.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/index-page.html
For the last two years and other years in the past we have been in Florida in November/December and have enjoyed seeing all the Christmas decorations as well as enjoying warm and sunny weather. This year we visited Florida in September/October and now we are missing being there at this time of year.
To compensate I started looking at what Christmas related events were being organised near us in the U.K. One of the many treasures we have in this country are our Stately Homes and historic houses/mansions. Many of them go out of their way to decorate the home as they would have been in the 19th Century, the period when the Christmas we know today was introduced.
I looked on the internet to see if there was a house near us that was holding such event; I saw that Shugborough Hall was holding a Christmas Fayre and lighting the hall by candlelight between 28th and 30th November. Just the job! I pre-booked tickets and we visited on Friday 28th.
The decorated rooms in the house were fantastic, everything we could have imagined. The staff and event organisers had obviously worked hard and imaginatively to decorate the rooms in a festive manner.
If that is all that had been offered then we would have come away very satisfied.
However, there was the promise of a Christmas Fayre: fortunately, or, as in this case, unfortunately, I have an active imagination and I had imagined what the stalls comprising the Fayre might look like. What I had imagined was a few stalls, set up in the house itself, selling unusual, tasteful goods biased towards the festive season.
In reality it was nothing like that at all. The Fayre was held in a gigantic marquee erected in front of the Hall. It seemed to me that there were around one hundred stalls, certainly there were very many. However, less than 20% of them had a Christmas theme. Most them were stalls selling goods that you would find at any small town market at anytime during the year.
In itself that is not a problem. The event was very well attended and I guess many of the people there new exactly what to expect because they had been to similar events before.
I would assume that they were not disappointed.
It is just that the fayre aspect of the event did not equate to what my wife an I had imagined.
The fault. if there is one, lies with us.
As I say the Candlelit Hall was a delight and all credit to those who prepared it.
Here are a few photos from the event -
The Cannock Ex Sevicemens Male Voice Choir entertaining the Fayre cafe customers
The Fayre
Shugborough Hall decorated for Christmas in the style of the
mid 19th Century
Exterior of Shugborough Hall on a grey November afternoon
Cafe decorations
Lichfield Cathedral
On the way home we stopped off in Lichfield to visit the Cathedral. Here are some photos from that visit: -Where ever you are in the World I wish you a very happy Festive Season and a prosperous New Year.
Nick
Links
My other travel blog posts -
http://travelling-with-nick.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/travelling-with-nick-index-page.html
My Car blog posts -
http://twincam-serendipity.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/index-page.html
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