Christmas Eve at the Chateau

good morning from a beautifully Sunny laand where I have woken up on Christmas Eve to the most wonderful news imaginable and the others don't know yet so I'm going to go downstairs and tell them now good morning good morning oh look at your beautiful hair oh well hang on I thought tinette was a great site but look at this Christmas spirit is on yes it is oh this looks wonderful yes individual Pizza and I'm making some individual fish oh fabulous well I have good news for everyone but I'm going to wait till we're all gathered together so we need to gather you're just looking through the chocolates bu a little bit of extra do looking for Chocolat oh like you did last time that was delicious look at this very impressive super team that is a super team and I love the aprons my gosh you look adorable together I'm loving the mini key IA the mini pizzas are a Triumph mhm it's easier for people to eat you see when you're doing a buet you just need 15 yes chicken I don't think so I think that was a mistake okay really really are you trying to say anything to the people in the house one more really listening no no no this it is such a beautiful day Philip and I are sneaking over to the chapel because there's something we want to do before the others get here we have something very important to do and that is setting up our Nativity the one from Naples last year we got the Glorious donkey to add to it and I didn't want to put it out any earlier this year because there's been so much building work going on but now that we know the builders won't be back until the 8th of January it'll be safe to set up the Nativity on the altar where it can look after to the chapel for the whole Christmas season I've carried out the first box of figures and Philip's arriving with the huge stable but it's so heavy he was looking for someone to help him I think I can hear people approach here comes the world's heaviest stable uh even with two men that is very very heavy to move I'll move those flowers out of the way and I think manger on high heav the Bells Are Ringing why don't way in a Manger let's do a we in a Manger later oh yes these were the wonderful pieces we got last year with the donkey all of the vegetables from the laand gardens can anyone ever be truly ready for dinky the donkey I love donkey oh just dropped a sheep the holy family are already in place strangely Jesus is but we're going to take him out again and put him back in the middle of the night tonight because he shouldn't have been born yet and Dinky the donkey last year's Edition my favorite is there with all of the the basket that he was carrying Joseph is still holding the donkey and then we have the shepherd his flock were about to arrive Michael's holding the flock thank you very musical flock and this year we've also given the shepherd a little basket a Market Garden produce basket he's brought the apples from the orchard at laand over here and actually nearly forgot him it was right in the bottom of the box we have the Nativity Hedgehog critical Christmas Hedgehog Christmas Hedgehog and new this year we have the three wise men we've never had those before so I like how he's peing just peeking they've arriv but they haven't knocked yet so they're just looking in uh wondering who's going to knock first so it's getting more complete and I feel that they will be watching over the chapel until the work starts again on the 8th of January and celebrating with us because there's a lot to celebrate you have come bearing gifts yes would you like a vacant rap date more than than anything in this world thank you so much Cheers Cheers this is my first taste of tonight's Feast lovely some things in life are so delicious that you can't stop laughing the midle so so I have gathered you all to the chapel which actually sounds rather ominous and like an Agatha Christie movie does I've gathered you all at the estate we've come to the chapel for a truly truly wonderful reason uh which I can't believe I'm saying it's that this morning as soon as I woke up I looked at my phone to see how far we'd got with the adopter star fundraiser and unbelievably we have reached [Music] 200,000 wonderful there was only one place in the shadow to celebrate that and that was of course here in the chapel with the Nativity which is why Philip and I and Michael have brought the Nativity out because it's such a momentum ous momentous occasion thank you all there is no way in a million years that any of us thought 3 weeks ago when we launched this adopter star campaign that we would have the full 200,000 to restore all of the paintwork in the chapel by Christmas and to find out on the morning of Christmas Eve just thank you thank you so much and just to show you the importance of what's going to happen here we found photos from a fabulous Instagram account actually not that we found but that actually some of you found and messaged me about on Instagram they're from an Instagram account called Suspicious Minds run by a fabulous photographer called Reginald and Philip's being in contact with him asking for permission to use his photos to show them all to you he took photos of the church in LC s Michelle that has recently been restored without the restoration of the paint work being done as many of you know by now there were actually two chapels built in this region on the plans of the chapel of St Joseph this one here which was the marid dak's private Chapel at his Chateau but also a much larger Chapel at the local Jesuit school in lordex Sam Michelle the makid dadak had donated the plans of this Chapel for them to use them they scaled it up to make a much larger Chapel but they decorated it in this way different colors different patterns but exactly like this every every single square millimeter of the chapel painted we had seen some photos of what it looked like before where there were black and white photos and now thanks to Reginald who photographed that Chapel back I think in 2016 was it Phillip yes we have photos of what it was before the restoration and this is what it looked like it was absolutely all inspiring the most beautiful beautiful mid 19th century decoration enough to leave you Breathless now the local commune did not have all of you helping them and they're a very small community who have two churches to restore and look after so they did the absolute best that they could and they have saved the chapel itself they completely saved the structure but because they didn't have the funding this is the way it's being restored there and that's how it looks now so I know many people may think oh it looks better now a lovely lovely pale Chapel of course the bones are still beautiful but thank you because you've given us the gift at leand of restoring this and keeping all of this paint work intact and even restituting the areas that have been lost where the plaster has come off in the past thank you so much I don't think any of us can tell you how deeply we feel this and I wanted to tell you about it in the chapel and now my goodness we can truly celebrate Christmas can't we absolutely it's going to be the best Christmas we have ever had because of all of you and you are still buying Stars every time we look the fundraiser is continuing to grow so I'm going to ask in the new year as soon as work starts again here for the architect to give me the quote to restore the flooring of the chapel you can barely see it actually there's the odd little area you can see there and it's in a very very bad State there's the area around the chapel that has a huge crack running through it but more importantly the rest of the floor is completely uneven and that floor is also original to the chapel they're in cotic 19th Century Tiles stunningly decorated throughout so it it looks as though uh if Stars continue to be adopted that we will also be restoring the floor of the chapel it's more than we could ever have imagined so thank you thank you thank you Merry Christmas to all of you and now we better run in because there's a lot of cooking to do before our party tonight thank you very much to all of you absolutely Merry Christmas to and now to work team to work well the little tees up oh touching that and look at this II is being made Molly's going for a little walk hello Amry well you too look absolutely gorgeous wow and these are for the Earth MIM MOA yes I'm waiting for some more is that one of your little chocolate ones can I have it thank you this is with the left over pastry exactly I don't like waste so I just put some chocolate in it in the oven and you made the little waste it's my favorite now it's time for a chaotic lunch in the house we are just grabbing anything that is available and apparently some straight oh okay and the champagne I think tette doesn't mind what the actual lunch is as long as you have a glass of shamp L and Michael you are making what you say you making um I'm making something yes um different right some of CH okay well it involves B what's it called we have a [Music] name okay so it's a new thing Michael's dunos are coming up very soon very shortly we'll find out what the Dos are I've never tried it I've never seen it I think it might be a nice how are the donos getting on oh hang on they involve I didn't see this coming I'm going to be honest yeah what is this for this is for the D we grab all the eggs doesn't this look good look good eggs eggs oh all the eggs all the eggs I think actually that might be the only egg I'm not joking do we have other eggs anywhere else do we know oh yes okay in the pantry in the pantry down we are saved under the window okay I'll find them we meet in the pantry you're looking for something I'm looking for the eggs near the window I was told so you need to cook this you need to cook this no no no no you don't need to cook that that's just like that meat uh yeah go I like corn beef it's nice uh X voila thank you well it is Christmas Eve for everyone so once we have the Doos you can have your little Activity Center straight in there than you I could watch him do this all day he knows exactly what all the food is the b in the little cake tins okay this is very good next one particularly exciting I'm excited are you excited very excited I don't know what I'm excited about ah okay would you like me to put a little dusting of pepper on each of those oh yes it is and salt as well I decided to go for a little bit of kimchi salt so kimchi salt it is on top of each one then a little bit of pepper I don't know why I'm choosing the condiments cuz this is very much not my recipe you can use gr cheese I think greater cheese might be nicer than goats cheese it would be but we don't have it ah did we finish it yes I can see this is the trying to find a lunch after cooking for the entire party crisis shoes it is how are the dunos I don't know do you think they're ready oh I think they're definitely done the duno is done I think actually that's a little bit overdone Michael so now we know but it looks good though doesn't it I like that little bit of G cheese there yeah beautiful would you like honestly that's nice no Shantel is this is she's happy just like is it happening Marie is this the moment we' all been waiting for for some days yes your very own B buns yeah and you steam them yes this is really fun an experiment to say the least I just popped outside to get some herbs and I saw the moon and I just had to film that for you because what a magical Christmas Eve this is at leand just as our evening is about to start the Moon is visible over the shadow that is so beautiful okay that is that wins that's the single most beautiful bit of food that we have for the buffet yay well I'm have you seen the other things I think I've seen most things Natty's star is gorgeous yeah and all of the shantel's dishes are amazing so yeah you have to keep up the standards they keep me on the on the high but look at it and not only that but it's sausage rolls a whole sausage roll wreath I love sausage R these are delicious I tried one this morning we were in the chapel and wow it was good the bow buns looking excellent have I ever mentioned that I love living here with you I love living here too I was just looking at the bow buns and now we get to see what's going in them the hold pork will you be needing someone to taste this would you like to taste well just you can't we can't take the risk of serving it to our guests I was think you're totally right there I'll give you a bit of onion too oh thank you very much that looks like a very good morsel thank you yes perfect love po so much transformation of the room has begun so this is back out tonight and what are you going for with the decorations for tonight do not people are arriving in 45 minutes no pressure they're arriving in eight yeah no no no but I thought eight is an hour and 15 away but that when I gave it's in 45 minutes all right that is okay uh should I run and get changed how about you get changed first just in case I am going to have to get changed as well okay running my plan tonight is to squeeze myself into this beautiful 1940s vintage evening dress that was sent to me as a gift but I've got a long way to go till I get to the putting the dress on stage I still need to curl my hair and I'm hoping that these strange black slugs on my face are going to make my eyes look better on the plus side I feel that things can only get better I have gone fullon 1940s I was inspired by the dress so then I went with it with the hair and the makeup as well but I'm feeling very christmy you look very beautiful the person who sent it to me said this is what Snow White would wear to a ball I'm imagining to a Christmas ball um the only problem with it is that I will not be able to eat my fair share of the canop in it we're matching now I can see in his beautiful IR L cake aan and it does have a little crown with it but it doesn't like wearing he's okay with a c but he draws the line at her hat it's so cute yeah ah mr's looking so s so deire so James Bond until we look down at the Footwear Judy you look stunning absolutely stunning as do all of the ladies and Natty and I are both wearing C at the shadow tonight and green and red yeah and Dana wow can we have a little time oh la la Danna always so elegant stunning well it's um I think that you're like um fairy tale and I'm like in the 50s yeah well we're all sort of mid 20th century right now with a little um I love it the glasses and Marie is a goddess over there the kitchen goddess with John oh the lights are not on behind you this is a we got a Christmas crisis I'm coming around don't worry John I'm on it I'm on it Christmas is saved looks wonderful so does Phillip whoa you look better than you did 15 minutes ago oh my good I hope so you should have seen me 15 minutes ago I was wearing slugs under my eyes it's got little snowflakes on I've never seen that before I haven't wor it that much whatever Philip because I've known you for three years and I've never seen you wear snowflakes it's gorgeous I like it keep very special the best people yeah tonight tonight cheers John that will be us I can see why you're hanging out in here not in the party room this is the party room and that's none of the food that I made yet I've still got to get my Terina and my Pates out so we're not going to starve well are we feeding the 5,000 about what 20 of us by the way you look adorable thank you the Red Rising Hood do you know what I'm happy about you've got the golden poodle out always makes me happy closeup of the poodle third most magnificent dog in the world after L lot and Molly I mean l lot's rocking it tonight you have a cave he's a cake Crusader it came out in one piece it looks amazing one piece so I'm just decorating it with a bit of dill and then we can take it through I think Simplicity is key today is there there's so much on the table as well Simplicity minimalism is that what you're saying that's what people say I am a minimalist there we go that can join the rest I've got to run and get the Pates but they're in the pantry and you have yeah thanks I've just been told that tonight's Buffet is all supposed to be finger food cuz there's no cut flurry going out so Philip said well now Philip maybe why don't we keep my terine for tomorrow yeah tomorrow D us we do that we don't need it do we have you seen so much food this is so typical I think something probably even use it because it's not finger food out the Pates will be fine though so there's that that's the smoke mael Pate okay I'll leave you L here right I'll cover this in cing film and we will have it on Christmas Day we have the Shak platter yeah with gantin and po pie and so and ham then you have um Mar PR on little mini pom cocktails yes then the Kish and I think those actually in blanket n did some salmon oh that's really good that that's salmon it means we didn't need the salmon to tonight which is great Thea got Thea the thing I'm most excited about sausage rolls RS that cabbage to do with the PO oh yes with the PO pork here help themselves and that's with all of these little acents yeah and there the pulled pork itself and of course the eggs Mima duck pate and smoked mackerel Pate too Marie amazing it looks gorgeous did not do all of it no it was a team effort this is the Lan team pulling together for a buffet it is gorgeous you worked all day yesterday on your sauce and your paty it's lucky cuz I wouldn't have been able to today I wouldn't have had the time so I think we're okay to start should I call everyone through absolutely as there are so many people here we've brought out our box of little charms for glasses so that people can tell which one is theirs and I've chosen the small red Christmasy bird I've gone for a little selection to start this is just my starter plate everyone is at the party but little Christmas elf has come back to the kitchen I love the kitchen I'm exactly like you at parties the kitchen yeah I love the idea for party just I love the kitchen it's cozy in here I love a party in the kitchen we're doing a dark chocolate Mose and it's friendly so as much as I love a really good rich dark chocolate mousse with dairy I just wanted Filip to have something he could eat oh that's so sweet of you yeah I do care about him so this is with chickp yay you shouldn't have said that know you definitely shouldn't have said that but it's sort of like like egg bites but not no same thing but different so we've just had a bit of a Christmas crisis we smelt a certain a certain air of burning in the house and uh Marie has found the source it's my Arch choke dip I just popped it in Marie just to warm nicely just to warm about 1 and 1 half hours ago at 240° c 200 look it looks perfectly T in the middle step away from the should I bring it up just maybe not I think your mousse will go down a little better right yes thanks for saving the shatter it's the early hours of the morning I can still hear them singing downstairs but I've come up to do something very very important I'm remaking our bed with Christmas sheet on it so that when philli and I wake up tomorrow we will be SED in Christmas the bedding is all changed and Lance lot and I are snuggled up next to Christmas sheet philli is still down at the party but when we wake up in the morning it will be Christmas and I can't wait I look forward to chatting to all of you then Merry Merry Christmas and Adam Away in a Manger no creep for a b the little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet the stars in the night sky look down where he lay the little Lord Jesus asleep all [Music] the

Channel: The Chateau Diaries

Views: 136,771

Keywords: chateau de lalande, chateau diaries, chateau life, chateaux in france, chatelaine, dream chateau, escape to the chateau, escape to the chateau diy, french castles, french country home, french country house, french country living, historic house, life in a chateau, living in a castle today, living in a chateau, living in a french chateau, stately home, stephanie chateau, stephanie jarvis, stephanie jarvis chateau de la lande, the chateau diaries, escape to rural france

Id: 6TAYagnUXZQ

Length: 23min 31sec (1411 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 25 2023