Top to bottom: Estate staff carry the tree
inside; turkey is a highlight of lunch; Lady
Carnarvon wraps presents by the fire.
We hope children will come
& find Santa's Grotto whilst, as
a finale, Charles Dickens' great,
great grandson, Gerald Dickens,
will join us to read excerpts
from A Christmas Carol.
Can you describe a few of the
events happening this year?
Our Christmas events really take their
inspiration from the themes in my book
Christmas at Highclere, from tips on
preparation and planning, to decorating and
shopping, singing carols together, enjoying
Christmas afternoon teas, and dining with us
in the State Dining Room. We hope children
will come and find Santa's Grotto whilst, as a
finale, Charles Dickens' great, great grandson,
Gerald Dickens, will join us to read excerpts
from A Christmas Carol.
Are there any Christmases that
have stood out for you?
I think the first one Geordie and I hosted.
My five sisters and their families came to
stay and it was a hilarious experience. The
mattresses were 150 years old and incredibly
lumpy, they all put their feet through the
sheets because they were so ancient. The
hot water came on at all the wrong times
and my husband looked askance at the spike
in electricity as all of us blow-dried our hair
at 6 PM. We soon worked out what we
needed to update – the most pressing one
being heaters for the bedrooms.
What is your top Christmas
tradition at Highclere?
I have to say, I love Christmas Eve when
my husband reads the poem Twas the Night
Before Christmas to the assembled children
sitting around him on the floor, just like his
father did before him.
22 | Viking Explorer Society News
