Our 6 Lake District Hotels are well known for spectacular festive displays and hundreds of Christmas tress that appear each November… however, you may be surprised to know that a dedicated company employee is actually the creative genius behind them all!
Our own ‘Mrs Christmas’, Trish Irving, who works in the accounts department at Head Office is the mastermind behind some of the best Christmas decorations in the Lake District and each year she orchestrates the spectacular transformation of our hotels into a Christmas wonderland. Trish creates the impressive festive displays in her spare time for all 6 of our hotels around the Keswick and Ullswater areas.
The Christmas superstar spends more than 100 hours designing and creating the decorations at home and around 200 hours putting up the displays which she assembles with the help of long-term friend, Dawn Holden.
In total across all 6 hotels, the festive extravaganza includes 135 Christmas trees, more than 1,000 garlands, and over 9,000 baubles.
Trish, who has been doing the Christmas decorations at Lake District Hotels for 20 years, starts planning the displays in January and spends her nights and weekends creating festive decorations for the hotels, which are hung in November ahead of the launch of our festive dining menus.
Christmas is 365 days a year for me. It’s something I love to do, and I enjoy coming up with new ideas for each hotel. I make anything new we need for that year, and incorporate decorations from previous years into the designs, which are stored at the hotels. The festive season is all about being with loved ones and it’s wonderful to see families coming together at the hotels and admiring the decorations.” – Trish Irving, Christmas Decorator
Trish decorates all six hotels which include the Inn on the Square, the Kings Arms Hotel and the Skiddaw Hotel in Keswick town centre; the Borrowdale Hotel & the Lodore Falls Hotel & Spa in Borrowdale; plus the Inn on the Lake, which sits on the shore of Ullswater.
Every hotel has its own Christmas theme and this year it includes a candy cane theme at Inn on the Square and bauble arches and gnomes at the Skiddaw Hotel. Trish comes up with a different festive twist for each hotel every year.
There is also an animal-themed entrance at the Inn on the Lake and the Lodore Falls Hotel & Spa which are a big hit with kids, and the bauble arch at the Skiddaw Hotel is proving a very popular selfie spot this year. Don’t forget to post them to Instagram and tag us @lakedistricthotels if you’re passing by.
People often think the displays are done by a professional team and are always surprised when they discover that they are all created, organised and put up by a company employee with a little hep from her friend.
Trish and Dawn each spent 16 days putting up the Christmas decorations this year, often working seven days a week.
“The Lake District is a special place to visit for Christmas, and we find that people return to us year after year to celebrate with family and friends especially because we do have some of the best Christmas decorations in the Lake District. It’s important that we help create a special atmosphere for our guests, and Trish does an amazing job to make that possible.
We get inspired by trips to Copenhagen, which is so magical at Christmas, and when we come back we share our photos with Trish. It’s great fun to see Trish’s ideas come to life and see all her hard work come together. The Christmas lights we put on the exterior of our hotels also adds to the merriment and locals, in particular from Keswick, really love that we kick off the festive season with a big sparkly bang!” – Dani Hope, Director of Lake District Hotels
Festive Events in the Lake District
If you’re looking for some exciting Christmas events taking place in the Lake District, discover the range of activities running across our hotels. If you’re looking for a day out with the kids, Sunday Lunch with Santa is the perfect occassion. Fancy a spot of indulgence? Tuck into our sumptuous Yuletide Afternoon Tea! Or even if you’re ready to get dressed up and party with friends, we have a selection of Christmas party nights that will be right up your street.
To see everything that is happening across all 6 of our Lake District Hotels this season, click here.
