Christmas at Chatsworth 2015 | The Wind in the Willows

 Hello there! If you've been a reader of my blog for a while now, you may remember my post on Chatsworth at Christmas last year. Well Tom and I went again this year and I wanted to share photos of this years theme with you! I want this to become a tradition, so that every year Tom and I go for a visit and see the new theme. I spoke to someone who works there and she said that ever since it started in 2001, there's been a different theme each time. I'm glad to hear this as I was worried it would become like the pantomime where the same shows run on a cycle. 

 This years theme was The Wind in the Willows, and we found that a slightly worse day weather-wise meant that the house was nowhere near as busy as it was last year, so you could properly see the decorations! I'll try to remember this for another year so we can just buy a ticket for the house, and visit the grounds in warmer weather in the summer. The grounds were really autumnal, and I'm looking forward to seeing the difference in the summer when all the flowers are out!

 

  After a walk around the grounds, it was time to go into the house!

 

 To keep the children entertained, there's always something in each room that they have to find and count, and this year it was badgers.

 

 

 

 I loved all of the little touches throughout, from the figures to the paintings they had done so it looked like Toad's family portraits were hanging around the place. Whoever is in the team that makes and creates the layout must have so much fun coming up with new themes and sourcing the decorations before putting it all out. I always think if I worked in a department store I would want to be in the team who puts the Christmas decorations out!
 If you have a chance to go to Chatsworth and see the decorations in person I definitely would, but for those of you who are unable to take a trip, I hope this has given you a little tour of the type of thing that they do for Christmas. Do you know of anywhere else that has decorations like this near where you live? Do let me know! I'd love to check them out one day.

Love Jess xxx