So that was Christmas!

The tree at Mottisfont

Wowsers, how fast did that time go? 
I hope everyone enjoyed the break. We certainly took advantage of the whole family having the time off to do a bit more exploring, not just of our beautiful county, but some neighbouring ones too.

Rather than write a HUGE post about all the things we did and places we went, I thought I'd write a series of smaller ones – easier for you all to digest!

And what better way to start than with a couple of gems in Britain's heritage crown…

Kingston Lacy/Mottisfont
We had a couple of days visiting some of the national treasures owned by the National Trust. And if anyone's got the traditional Christmas celebrations sussed, it's the NT. 

So our trip to Kingston Lacy, just outside of Wimborne, saw us meeting Santa in a shepherd's hut. I'd really fretted about where to meet the big man, but this was such a simple, stylish setting. Santa was wonderful, the girls got a small token gift and we all came away happy. But the fun didn't end there. We got to add links to what was intended to be the world's longest paper chain, play with traditional toys, stud a clementine with cloves for scenting our home, sample biscuits and wines and do some Christmas crafting. On top of all this, we then followed a 12 Days Of Christmas-themed trail around the grounds (which was lit up from dusk although we left before that time). It was cold and wintry, but that just added to the festive feeling.

Paper theatre

A trip to Mottisfont, near Romsey in Hampshire, was just as Christmassy. We'd gone to enjoy the Nutcracker Christmas exhibition, thinking it would be great for D1. And we were right. Like Kingston Lacy, Mottisfont is a beautiful estate, but this time we were able to explore both inside and outside the house. There was the most stunning Christmas tree, paper theatres, automata (that's mechanical toys to you and I) and more crafting. Festive fun aside, we also got to have fun by the river and check out the second-hand bookshop (where I got some great bargains for when I finally finish my reading list!). 

Snow geese

Sweets!

Both places felt wonderfully quaint, traditionally British and were highly enjoyable. We're looking forward to returning for some more fun in the spring/summer and seeing the gardens in all their glory!

For more about both properties, see nationaltrust.org.uk.