Sunday 18 December 2016

Madhouse diaries : Festive delights at dusk


As twilight fell today, I herded the kids on to the bus and we set off into town to check out the Christmas lights. Just next to our bus stop, we discovered that one of the boats in the port had sunk. I actually go past this every day on the bus to work but only see the very top of the mast so I was totally unaware ! 


I took a couple of moody snaps of the dwindling light reflecting off the surface of the water in the harbour but the kids were more impressed with the giant illuminated Mickey Mouse just next to it !


Time for the obligatory twinkly selfie !


Our next stop was the town hall where they had a huge train set laid out, complete with miniature cows, hop fields, policemen, cars and passers-by.


It was interesting enough for a quick ten minute visit but it did make me smile that the people who were most enthusiastic about the whole thing seemed to be men of a certain age rather than the kids !


We did admire their tastefully decorated Christmas tree on the way out though. The local radio station was there and asked Pierre if he'd like to phone Father Christmas and talk to him live on air ... to which he replied no !! He did say yes to helping himself to a sweet though !


 You can tell by how hard Juliette was giggling that this next part was the best bit of the evening.


 A ride through the magic garden of Christmas trees ...

 

... on a sleigh pulled by quad bikes whose riders were dressed up as reindeer. Whoever came up with that idea deserves a medal !


In the middle of the forest was Father Christmas's wooden chalet so we stopped off to say hello and take a photo.


There were also smaller wooden huts dotted about with animated teddy bear displays inside.


 We didn't hang about though as we wanted to see the light display on St Eloi church.


It was a spectacular end to our twilight wander around town and a great way to get into the Christmas spirit now that we're on holiday and seriously counting down the days to the big day !


Country Kids

17 comments:

  1. Beautiful light display on the church, and lots of other lovely things to see. Hope the boat owners will be able to recover it from the water.

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    1. If it's the one I think, the boat was pretty derelict anyway. There's always lots going on in town for Christmas in Dunkirk, which is lovely, especially as it's all free ! :)

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  2. What a fab way to spend an evening preparing for the festivities to come, it looks like a winter wonderland. Christmas lights really do make towns feel really Christmassy and magical, it's great that there was so much to see. Those quad bike pulled sleighs look fantastic, what a fun touch to make seeing santa even more exciting!

    Thanks for linking up with me on #CountryKids.

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  3. Looks like a fun way to spend a holiday evening. The quad sleighs look like an enjoyable way to see the gardens. Did the light display change on the church or was it stationary? We saw a light show on the Canadian parliament last Christmas Eve and it was projected story that moved and changed. Happy New Year! #countrykids

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    1. Yes, the lights changed - at one point it looked like it was on fire and there were lots of pretty colours. Last year was better though - it was an actual story involving a teddy bear and at one point, Father Christmas (or someone dressed up as him !) appeared from the roof and abseiled down clutching the teddy from the story - totally magical ! :)

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  4. My son has just got very excited as he saw the train photos on your post - he is obsessed and would have stayed glued to the spot all evening I'm sure. Looks like a fab evening out #CountryKids

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    1. Aww I love how excited he is about trains - I was just reading your post about the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch railway earlier :)

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  5. Is it bad that I miss Christmas already? These photos certainly make me feel festive! #CountryKids

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    1. No, I know what you mean - I hate seeing all the Christmas decorations come down. It always looks so bare for a while until you adjust !

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  6. Wow what a fab adventure! A great way to spend an evening. The quad bike reindeer is indeed hilarious! #countrykids

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  7. Looks so festive and pretty - bet seeing the half sunk boat was quite interesting though, although I feel sorry for the poor owners! #countrykids

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    1. It was very decrepit - I think they'd just abandoned it, like dumping a car I suppose !

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  8. The lights on the church are beautiful and I love the illuminated Mickey Mouse. The quad bike reindeer look fabulous - what a fun idea. What a shame about the boat though. #countrykids

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    1. We wondered if it was an insurance job for the boat ! lol

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  9. I wonder what happened to the poor boat that sunk?! The church lights are absolutely lovely. What a lovely way to spend an evening, I am missing Christmas! #countrykids

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