Christmas Wonderland.

This is a soppy post, and I mean soppy of the highest order, choked up, tears, the whole shebang.

Hubby and I went to the garden centre today to get the bird feeder I’d asked for for Christmas. The one he found was nearly £50, so definitely NOT the one I’d seen, but let me back track a bit.

Today is December 1st and unbeknown to us, the day that Santa’s Grotto opened at said garden centre.
Two visits ago, the place was in a right muddle with boxes of Christmas decorations and half erected trees everywhere.
Our last visit, as in when we had our carvery dinner, and it was transformed, with the entrance lobby and first showrooms awash with festivity and festive goods. It was wonderful, and I felt completely awestruck.
That paled into insignificance today.

From the moment we walked in it was magical, wondrous, enchanting, beautiful, fabulous and brilliant, moving me almost to tears. I have never in my entire life experienced anything like this, and apparently they put on exceptional displays here every year.
Very little of the inside space is undecorated now, and for any kid aged 2 to 90, it is like stepping into Wonderland. I just stood in the centre of it all and turned a full 360º very slowly to take it all in.
There were winter scenes, Nativity scenes, life-size angels, elves, snowmen, and one huge mechanical Father Christmas telling stories in one of the main showrooms. Excited kids were being led towards Santa’s Grotto and I wasn’t the only adult singing along to songs of yesteryear.

We could have spent a fortune today on lights for both inside and out, trees and ornaments including a fairy at almost £20, presents, toys, train sets, garden ornaments, though I did see a little something for Hubby and paid for it at the reception desk when he was looking at something else further in.
The music for once wasn’t loud and hip hop, but Christmas hits from the 50s and old musicals, none of which were vying for supremacy over the speakers as you walked through the store.

The tears almost came with the reindeer.
You’ll understand if you read the final paragraphs of this  (I’ll wait)………………………..
Told you this was a soppy post…………………
Anyway, today I was serenaded by two reindeer.
OK they were mechanical and on a motion sensor, but they were so lifelike, I had to stop myself reaching over the fencing to stroke them.
If any child felt even a fraction of the magic I felt today, that thought warms my heart.

Note:
We did get a bird feeder today, it was in a different showroom and a third of the cost.
We got our fairy and some more tree decorations elsewhere as those here were way beyond our price range, however beautiful.