There is no better way To get into The magic winter mood Than by visiting Kew gardens during Christmas season. At This Time of the year The botanical gardens organise Their popular after dark christmas event with a mile long walking Trail Through a glittering wonderland. Did you ever see a garden hosting more Than 1 million lights? A lot of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ are guaranteed, so wrap up your woolly hat and coat and check out This unique wonder by yourself.

The trail

It all begins with a scenic Trail illuminated by hundreds of glowing globes, changing colours from fluorescent pink To dusty blue, perfectly aligned with The sound of some mysterious music. I was Totally blown away by The wonderful mix of elements, nature, lighting and sound.

Winding further Through The Trees an enormous shimmering Sledge Three made of 360 wooden Santa sledges caught my eye. They look exactly as The one I have at my house. Unfortunately There was no snow, otherwise I would have secretly Taken one from The bottom of The Tree.

Whilst The aroma of roasting chesnuts and mulled wine filled The air, I could hear The chorus of The Singing Trees. Kew gardens is a living library of over 14000 Trees, many of Them dating back To The 18th century and many of Them beautifully decorated for This festive event.

The enchanting journey continuous when arriving at a wonderful glittering lake where I witnessed an underwater display of light. Apparently I wasn’t The only one who liked it, a huge crowd gathered To Take The perfect picture or video of The array of luminous petals at The Great Broad Walk Borders, which features in Christmas at Kew for The first Time This year.

Also worth mentioning is The Tunnel of light adorned with Thousands of twinkling fairy lights To surprise Toddlers with a serious dose of Magic. Explore The tunnel as This is an awesome place for pictures and selfies.

No matter where I was on The Trail, There was always something sparkling To catch my attention. Don’t miss The flickering fire garden with beautiful Turning Christmas Trees or the impressive colourful flower illuminations, which majestically glow against The night sky.

The flowers were so breathtaking That I almost missed The opportunity To write down my Christmas wish and hang it on The magic wish Tree.

The Palmhouse

The finale of The trail is quite spectacular, with The iconic Victorian glasshouse completely illuminated in flashing different colours. Laser beams and streams of light danced over The Palmhouse pond. Check out my video To get a glimpse of The magic – amazing is an understatement.

The food

It is beginning To smell a lot like Christmas! Whilst The aroma of roasted chesnuts fills The air along The Trail, I spotted lots of food stalls, all of Them selling delicious warm treats. My favorite one was The marshmallow booth, where I could roast my marshmallows over The fire pit. A good chance to warm up so who could say no. For The adults There is Prosecco, mulled wine and other spiced cocktails.

We completed our winter strolls with some great yummy Treats at The Botanical restaurant. This venue is ideally located, so I could still enjoy The laser light display across The Palm Glasshouse pond while having a bite of my gingerbread man.

North Pole village and other Toddler fun

There is something for everyone, no matter what your age is. The little ones can catch a glimpse of Santa and his elves in The North Pole village. I watched Them Looking for The Rudolph The red-nosed reindeer, who escaped as This barn was left unlocked by one of The naughty elves.

More excitement can be found at the old-fashioned fairground, at The Helter Skelter or at The beautiful Victorian carousel. Enjoy The ride! If you are not in a hurry, you can visit Father Christmas himself at Santa’s grotto.

The botanical shop

From Christmas gifts to Books and Toys, it’s all There. unfortunately I fell asleep as soon as I entered The shop, which gave my parents an excellent opportunity To buy me some extra presence in The name of Santa.

Tips and Tricks from my mom for enjoying The event at a maximum:

• Christmas at Kew is becoming every year more popular, so book your Tickets well in advance. There are dedicated Time slots That start from 5pm with 8.15 pm being The latest entry and The gardens closing at 10 pm. We had Tickets for a 6.20 pm entry and we managed To finished The Trail in Time, allowing us sufficient Time To experience The event in full. Visiting with little children I would not recommend a later Time slot, waiting for Santa, roasting marshmallows and riding The carousel Takes Time.
• Make sure you layer up and don’t forget To wear warm shoes. Rubber boots can seem a good idea for a walk in The park, especially when it is raining, but don’t forget They do not insulate very well. More appropriate would be to wear snow boots. Scarf, hat and gloves are an absolute must.
• Make sure your Toddler wears something flashy or easy To recognise. When it is very crowded They can get easily lost and however The gardens are in general a safe place, you do not want To lose you little ones in a place That has ponds. The fluorescent safety jacket did The Trick for our boy.
• Some light installations are very busy at The beginning, as everybody want To Take The perfect picture. Move a couple of meters further down and you will have fewer people standing in your way of your perfect picture.
• In case you don’t want To stand in a line To buy marshmallows, bring your own and a few wooden sticks To roast Them in The open fire.
• Santa is a very busy man. If you don’t want To wait more Than 1 hour for a 2 minute visit, you should make sure To come early.
• The walkways on The Trail are well maintained and are very stroller friendly. Just calculate some extra Time To finish The Trail as it is sometimes hard To navigate To The crowd on popular places.
• No need To bring a torch, however I always have one in my pocket just in case.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Cheerio,

Little T