Great Expectations

The audience was silent, the lights turned down and the music began to fill the moment – and the Saloon. Gerald Dickens walked slowly down the Oak Staircase in his long dark frock coat and top hat, walking stick in hand. The audience turned a little in their chairs but he was already walking amongst them on his way to the stage at the front.

Thus opened “A Christmas Carol’: a one man show performed by the great great grandson of Charles Dickens. Sitting in the heart of a deeply Victorian Gothic Castle. It is a wonderful way to mark the progress towards Christmas and the actual day was 19^thDecember,  the very day when the novel was published in 1843. This particular event also marks the end of our Christmas event programme each year.

During the four weeks leading up to Christmas, Highclere’s Christmas decorations have interpreted the theme of the journey of the Three Kings or Magi to visit the baby Jesus in his stable. This has been reflected through all the State Rooms, along with the traditions and entertainments which define Christmas. We have really enjoyed it – it has been colourful and contemplative, given a little wisdom as well as  a beacon of light to follow are always welcome.

One strong Christmas tradition is that of singing, both listening to others and singing together. For the four days of public opening, throughout each day we had a ‘smorgasbord’ of choirs singing in the courtyard and the castle – although there was repositioning to shelter form rain and wind! The following weekend, the two evenings were devoted to evening receptions of champagne, canapes and carols led by the Military Wives Choir.

Each evening celebration began with trays of champagne offered as guests stepped through the glass doors into the Saloon. These are always happily received and the first sips of golden bubbles make every evening begin well. Canapes always evolve but every year fish and chips are very popular. The chefs has made some new arancini canapes – easy to eat as they need neither little cocktail sticks nor little bowls – one a ruby colour due to the beetroot and another with lemon and tarragon. I failed to taste either but that is probably a good thing!

Some new songs marked this year’s entertainment and all the assembled party joined in with great enthusiasm – it was really rather magical. Above all, it was the atmosphere which said ‘Happy Christmas’ long before the end of the evening when I was standing by the front door  shaking hands and wishing people all the best as they left.

For once both the evenings were rain free, clear but cool, as I watched people wander down the drive lit by the twinkling lights of the Christmas trees. Many were catching taxis back to various local pubs and were clearly going to continue the party. We needed to restock the champagne.

Christmas tours and afternoon teas remain convivial events for friends to meet up or family members to celebrate milestones whilst Friends of Highclere enjoyed tours with me and Father Christmas plus photographs by our magnificent tree in the Saloon. There are also two further event days where I talk about Christmas at the Castle followed by  more delicious Christmas food and drink: more scones and Christmas Cake as well as soup and delicious quiches…

Part of the fun each Christmas is the collection of random data – how many baubles used and so on. To date, our guests have now enjoyed over 8,000 scones and 6,500 slices of Christmas cake and the chefs have used over one quarter of a tonne of flour amongst other very useful festive facts.

Of course, there have also been the expected number of challenges, although we are never quite sure what form they are going to take each year. This time, we all had a terrible winter storm to contend with, which in our case was exacerbated by the water company cutting off our entire water supply the following day. That need not have happened. We survived on reserves for the first half of the day whilst we worked out what had happened, our abilities to be further resilient diminishing along with our energy levels. All I can say is that my knowledge of waterpipes, why things happen and who to ring has improved immensely.

Looking back, Christmas at Highclere has been golden, cheerful, and twinkled for visitors, we have sung and stood together, we have eaten and listened and followed various stars. And we have weathered some storms.

T S Eliot’s poem “The Three Magi” opens:

“A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.”

Actually, the weather has been reasonably warm for the most part but I suspect that we all think that this December has not been without its issues. By the end of the poem:

The Magi “returned to our places, these Kingdoms

But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation..”

I suspect the Magi would see in our world today many of the dissensions that  they found in their time, but thank goodness for the great expectations in the hope and light of the Christmas story.

A very Happy Christmas from us all at Highclere!