Wow. Just wow! This could be the shortest blog ever as words cannot describe how amazing this week’s experience was! But let’s buckle up the sleigh and see if I can do it justice… When the idea of ‘50 Ways to Leave Your 40s‘ first came into my head, I sat with my lovely friend Louise and over coffee and cake we started to make a list. Random things were jotted down, including feeding reindeer.
Now, living in the countryside we often see deer around the local country park, and I initially had visions that we’d be gingerly sneaking up to them and proffering a carrot or two. I needn’t have worried as not many miles away we have an actual Reindeer lodge! We booked our tickets back in November and finally, on December 16th, we rocked up for our experience.
Getting Into The Christmas Spirit
Due to the large amount of snowfall we had last week, the Christmas spirit was already starting to take shape so adding reindeer, Christmas carols and mulled wine was only ever going to add another layer to the excitement.
>READ: HOLIDAY WINE GIFT GUIDE
We started by buying some moss to feed them and as we wandered around the enclosure, we all started to fall in love with these beautiful, gentle, doe-eyed, curious beasts. Reindeer, I have decided, are just like big dogs. They nudge your hand when they want to feed and are more than happy to have a nose stroked at every given opportunity. There must have been 50-60 reindeer in a variety of pens and they looked happy, warm, and safe… Unlike all of us who were freezing and soaking wet due to a sudden torrential downpour!
Celebrating the Season With Christmas Carols and Mulled Wine
We moved inside and gratefully accepted a mulled wine and sat near a roaring log fire and the Carol singers. Ahh, could it be any more festive? Before long a hymn sheet was thrust into our hands as carols that I hadn’t sung since school days came flooding back and we heartily joined in with Good King Wenceslas, Silent Night and many more.
Our final part of the evening was listening to ‘Reindeer Tales’ from the owner of the lodge. A big hearty man who sat in a massive ‘Santa’ chair near the fire and held a very captive audience for over an hour with everything you could possibly want to know about his reindeer. Did you know that only male reindeer can pull Santa’s sleigh? All the females are pregnant at Christmas, so they’re ruled out of the hard work! And who knew they all listen to Ken Bruce and Popmaster every day?
All in all, it was truly a wonderful experience and one I cannot recommend highly enough. The lovely part of our evening was that it was for ‘adults only’ and whilst I love kids as much as the next person, sometimes, just sometimes, it’s nice to have the Christmas thing going on without them!
Christmas Carols To Sing This Year
Are you venturing out for some Christmas caroling this year? Here are some popular options to try:
- “O Come All Ye Faithful”
- “O Holy Night”
- “What Child is This?”
- “We Three Kings”
- “The First Noel”
- “Away in a Manger”
- “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
- “Joy to the World”
The Best Christmas Playlist
Do you prefer to leave the caroling to the professionals? You’ll love this Christmas playlist!
>READ: 50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR 40S: #7 A CHRISTMAS OF TWO HALVES
>READ: THE 25 BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES TO PUT YOU IN THE HOLIDAY MOOD
