Original subtitles

Christmas can be a magical time of year...

What is this?

A reindeer.

A reindeer?

It's Rudolph.

..but it often comes with a long list of jobs...

We don't really have a plan B, which is a bit of a problem.

..especially if you live in an enormous chateau.

It's a nightmare, these.

You're looking in a bit of a Christmas tangle.

We're following intrepid owners...

Don't think this is a winter wonderland.

I'd say it's a bit of a winter nightmare right now.

..as they prepare for the festive season in France.

How are you? Merry Christmas.

It's getting a tad hectic now.

This is heavy.

If anything happens, run.

We'll witness the highs...

Hello, Santa.

Hello.

..the lows...

That wasn't supposed to happen, was it?

Let's put this baby in a stand.

Watch out. Stop!

..the joy...

I've fallen in love.

..and magic...

Wow.

..as they transform their castles into a winter wonderland.

Merry Christmas.

Today...

Timber.

..grand plans to deck the halls backfire...

I honestly was expecting just to paint,

but it's absolutely typical of anything you do in this place.

..a wine cellar revamp leaves one DIYer far from merry...

Everything, as always, is never a straightforward job

and takes about four times longer than you anticipate.

..and what this couple need is a Christmas miracle.

We still have to put all the lights up,

we've still gotta get all the catering done,

we've gotta get all the food out,

and we've only a couple of hours to go.

In the beautiful Dordogne Department of south west France stands

the historic 14th century Chateau des Vieilles Vignes.

This abandoned former monastery has 35 rooms over three floors

and extensive wine cellars.

It's being brought back to life by former Londoners Nick and Nicole,

who live here with son, Noah.

For me, the chateau feels magical at Christmas.

It's just a very grand place,

which oozes festivities and magic and things.

You can light lots of candles and cosy up and...

It is super cosy.

And when you go on these lovely long country walks,

and it's just stunning and frosty, and, oh, no, it's beautiful.

Located a short drive from Bergerac,

the couple bought the chateau in 2021 for £195,000...

..and are now living in a basement apartment

while renovating the upstairs.

Last Christmas, they tackled the massive task

of laying new concrete flooring...

To have a level, solid foundation from which

to build from is, yeah, it's fantastic.

..and were able to host their first festive party at the chateau.

So, to all of you.

To all of you.

Oui. Merci.

This Christmas, after a busy year juggling baby Noah

alongside the renovation,

they have a more bijou project in mind.

This year's Christmas project

for us is actually not really, for once, a necessity

but actually something we wanted to gift ourselves.

So, yes, we're doing up our wine cave,

which is really exciting.

We want it to be a very, very beautiful, tranquil space,

and just a place where you go down to and just go,

"Oh, wow, this is really nice."

"Which wine shall I pick today?"

Exactly. Not today, this week.

This week.

Tucked under the chateau, the dark, cool wine cellar,

the cave du vin,

will be a perfect place to store their Christmas tipples.

But, like the rest of the building,

it needs a lot of work.

Can you grab this one?

Yep.

Perfect. I will grab the chaux.

First job is to repoint the crumbling limestone walls

with chaux, or lime mortar,

which they have to mix batches of by hand.

Good workout because, all the mince pies,

we can eat even more now.

This is...our trusty steed,

which has been through the wars, I think.

It's, yeah, seen better days.

With the first buckets ready...

Not too much cos it's so heavy.

..they head to the wine cave.

They look very liquidy.

Too liquidy?

Well, we'll see.

This intrepid pair have taken on a huge project with this chateau.

But Swedish-born Nicole is dreaming of future festive celebrations.

It's very, very magical celebrating Christmas in Sweden,

and we've always had big family get-togethers.

We can't wait to create our own

Christmas celebration here in France.

I think the fun thing with the chateau is we create something

where actually we can bring everyone together.

Wouldn't that be amazing?

So, just the ability to bring both Nicole's family

and my family together and really celebrate in style.

So, helped by the fact that we have

lots of wine on our doorstep as well.

We'll probably put somebody down here to sleep.

Once it's done, I think it's gonna be beautiful.

Probably gonna end up with you and me sleeping in here.

The wine cave or guest suite is under way.

But with the walls and floor to finish,

and a winter gardening project to tackle,

this pair can't crack open the Christmas bubbly just yet.

Five hours south east, in the Occitanie region,

is the beautiful Chateau de la Fare.

It boasts an impressive 12th century tower...

..beautiful, secluded gardens...

..and 35 characterful rooms.

It was bought for £318,000 in 2012...

..by Australian-born Janet and husband, Philip...

..who live here with dog, Bobby.

Christmas here is bigger, grander, brighter,

more sparkly and actually more fun.

It's having this huge amount of space to decorate and enjoy.

So, you can let the imagination run wild

and create whatever scene you want, almost.

It's fabulous.

Located near the ancient city of Nimes,

last year, Janet and Philip transformed the chateau's stairwell

into a Christmas fairy tale...

..and hosted a spectacular carol concert for their friends.

# Jingle all the way

# Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh... #

The chateau's just ringing from the rafters, literally.

It's beautiful.

This year, they have precious family coming to stay

and are eager to ensure

the entrance hall is looking its festive best.

At the moment, it's very underwhelming

because it's shabby and old and faded.

And we have not painted that area at all since we bought the chateau,

and the paint's starting to come off.

We are very lucky our daughter Penny

and our two grandchildren are here for Christmas,

so we want to get this all painted and finished before they get here.

Is this good fun, Bobby?

Stay. Stay.

Good boy.

The family are arriving in two weeks,

and with the space having been neglected for decades...

I'm scaring the spiders away.

..they're just hoping there are no nasty surprises.

Well...

..none of this looks very good, does it?

Yes, definitely seen better days.

Although it's dry, which is a good thing.

While Philip gets rid of the rotten skirting boards...

Ugh, look what's behind it.

..Janet's tackling the peeling wallpaper.

Trouble with pulling bits off is we don't know how bad

the condition is behind it.

Sometimes opening a can of worms.

This is all wet, it is.

So the new plan is to actually rip it all off,

and fingers crossed it's not too bad underneath?

Yeah.

Ugh.

Timber.

Look out, Bobby.

Oh, look at that.

It's a bit decayed.

We'll get the sander in and sand that back to a better surface

and then put a skim coat of plaster on.

Sanding is a nightmare here.

That means... Dust.

..everything has gotta be, all the carpets,

everything has to be removed.

Yep.

Right, straight in the trailer.

I honestly was expecting just to paint,

but it's absolutely typical of anything you do in this place.

It's an extra task they could do without.

With all the skirting boards to replace...

Is that the piece you want, is it?

..and the entire room to redecorate...

Oh, the first stroke is the hardest.

..Janet and Philip's Christmas plans

haven't got off to the ideal start.

Coming up,

one couple race to get Christmas party ready...

So, I think we've got all of that.

So, we've got this one sorted.

We said we needed how many?

Nine.

Best get busy then.

..while Nicole faces a tree-mendous task.

Finding it very challenging.

Much heavier than I thought it would be.

In the Charente department of western France stands

the impressive La Grande Maison La Pinelle.

This abandoned 22-room manor house has a four-and-a-half-acre estate...

..barns, outbuildings, and a smaller modern property

which new owners Sarah and husband Bart currently live in.

How's that, my lovely?

It looks beautiful.

Bought in 2023 for £335,000,

this year will be the couple's first Christmas in France.

You always specifically love Christmas, don't you?

I do. I really love getting together.

This Christmas, we're really excited

because we're going to be hosting a party here.

I just love the whole affair of people coming together

and enjoying each other's company.

Located 15 miles from the town of Cognac...

..last time we saw Bart and Sarah...

Is that enough, Dawn? That's it.

..they kicked off their festive party preparations

with some home-made chocolates...

Oh, they look fabulous.

They're absolutely gorgeous.

..and decked their barn with 1,000 fairy lights.

What do you think? It looks incredible.

I love it.

But the couple still have a long to-do list.

Tomorrow we have the big event, our big Christmas event,

which we're super excited about.

Also very nervous about cos it's our first-ever event

and we really, really want it to be perfect.

So it's gonna be a long, hard day.

Sarah has called in her neighbour Dawn

to help make some decorations with a special local twist.

In the Charente, we're very lucky cos we're in the Cognac area.

We have an immense amount of these Cognac vines.

And at the end of their life, this is the roots.

They basically get dug up and put on a massive, big pile,

and they are burnt.

But Dawn's managed to salvage a few from the local vineyards,

and we're gonna use them to create beautiful Christmas decorations.

So, we'll start with this.

This'll be our base.

And then? Sort yourself some bays.

Is that gonna go down the middle of it, or does it matter?

We're gonna put that, place that on there.

And then you want to get some ivy.

I've been putting just one big cable tie around the whole lot. OK.

That's a bit fiddly, isn't it? It is fiddly.

Outside, Bart's digging deep.

First job on my enormous list for today is creating

a footpath from the arch to roughly about here,

where the ground is smoother.

But with his tractor broken down,

Bart's not feeling full of festive spirit.

One barrel load done...

..probably got about another 40 to do.

There we go.

I just wanna see what it would look like up on the wall.

Gosh, it's really coming together, isn't it?

That's really looking good.

So we've pretty much got this one sorted,

and we said we needed how many?

Nine.

Best get busy then.

At the end of the day,

not a huge amount's been ticked off the couple's Christmas list.

It's gonna be a very long night and a very short night.

So it's gonna be short on sleep

and long in the fact that we've

still got a ton of jobs to get done.

Well, I suggest you get cracking.

I suggest you get cracking.

It's becoming clear that preparing for

a chateau-sized party is SNOW laughing matter.

Further south,

work in Janet and Philip's entrance hall is well under way.

The vaulted ceiling has been fully painted,

and the new skirting boards are going in.

I've got the head, you've got the tail.

Now, with their family arriving in just two days,

the pair also have a festive surprise in store.

For a couple of years now, our eldest daughter, Penny,

has been suggesting that her children, our grandchildren,

need a rocking horse.

It makes the most wonderful present for Christmas.

They've bought an antique early 20th-century carousel horse,

which they plan to convert,

but it's in need of some TLC.

A few highlights in the mane wouldn't go astray.

But I tell you what has to happen, excusez moi...

..this is what you call a bad hair day.

The touching up is gonna be the fun bit.

You've actually got to do the engineering of finding

something for rockers... Yeah.

..something to make it stable and safe.

It's our precious grandchildren who are gonna be sitting up there.

The pressure is on for former senior coachman Philip,

who hopes to recycle something from his storage room.

This is where I squirrel away

all the things that will get used one day,

I think, anyway.

So I'm just going to see what I can find.

Meanwhile, downstairs,

Janet's continuing her never-ending paint job.

It's taken me a week to do the vaulted ceiling,

and once you've got the cutting in done,

it's much quicker, you can just get on with the roller.

But this has got a quite,

a textured paper over the old plaster on it,

and it doesn't roll on very easily,

and it's definitely going to need a second coat.

That's the depressing bit.

While Janet battles on,

Philip at least seems to be out of the starting gates.

These don't look too bad, actually.

I think what I might do is try and...put them in place roughly.

From memory, looking at horses online, visually,

it sort of looks about the same.

Well, this is a really good start.

It's actually saved me a lot of work.

They were off a sideboard we pulled apart.

And if I can put these towards the end somewhere,

it just keeps it all nicely tied together.

It's a clever bit of recycling,

which he just hopes is going to work.

Is that going on?

OK, that's one end done.

I have a memory from when I was a child.

One of our friends had a rocking horse.

It was the most incredible thing.

And I hope my grandchildren feel the same about it.

Wow.

That, I think, is fantastic.

Look at that.

How cool is that?

For all the scrap material we have upstairs, I'm really pleased.

It's a promising start,

but with the hallway still to finish too,

Janet and Philip have a couple of long days ahead.

Back in the Dordogne,

Nick and Nicole's Christmas wine cave is slowly taking shape.

Having filled in the crumbling limestone walls with mortar,

Nick now has the painstaking job of removing all the excess.

You can see, by brushing it, you're taking away all the gristles

and stuff that's there, and it smooths it all out for you.

It's an arduous process, but it's quite a rewarding one

cos obviously you're then kind of

bringing out the beauty in the wall again.

While Nick finishes the walls...

..Nicole is tackling a more al fresco winter job.

We need to desperately get some gardening done and some trimming

cos these bay leaves have taken over our entire garden,

so the idea is to trim them back a little bit.

So we've bought ourselves a new tool to get that done,

the job done, but we haven't used it before,

so I'm gonna try to start it for the first time.

OK, I think we can go.

Let's see if we can do this.

Finding it very challenging.

Much heavier than I thought it would be.

But I think it's better than it was.

It's a little bit straighter.

Looks a little bit more organised for Christmas.

All I have to do now is kind of do the clean-up job,

and then it's, yeah, bonfire time.

Back inside,

Nick has moved on to laying the wine cave floor.

I definitely don't have a huge amount of experience with tiling,

so this is definitely way, way, way outside my comfort zone.

But we don't learn unless we try.

He's using terracotta floor tiles, or tomettes,

which they salvaged from other parts of the chateau.

The problem is I need so much glue under these

cos these are actually thinner than the big side ones,

which I hadn't really factored in. So,

it's just taking longer to kind of

get them up to the right level, marry them up,

and then everything, as always,

is never a straightforward job

and takes about four times longer than you anticipate.

But we will get there, and it will look amazing, I think.

In the garden,

Nicole is preparing for some festive fire starting.

It's really nice to have a bit of a bonfire around Christmas,

lighting up the night.

It gets dark early, and, yeah,

it's a great way to feel like you're kind of getting rid of the old

in for the new year, and so, yeah,

it's something that we kind of always do around this time of year,

so let's see if we can get it started.

Wow.

Yeah, it's going pretty well. That's going pretty well.

Yeah.

Great job.

I've been building this bonfire for the entire year...

You actually have. ..collecting stuff from the garden.

We've had so many storms and so many trees,

small trees that have come down.

I've lost count of how many trees have come down. Yeah.

It's nice to, yeah, get rid of all the debris from this year.

The year gone by. Yes.

Get a bit of a clear garden as well

in time for Christmas since we will be out here,

probably with a glass of champagne, walking around.

With the wine cave project on the home straight,

and a special shopping trip planned for tomorrow,

it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas in this chateau.

Still to come, there's pre-party tension...

I think you should shut it.

It's one less job we have to do at 4.55pm

when we've got people arriving.

..but one couple are full of festive cheer.

You can never go wrong with bubbles.

Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles.

In southern France,

at Chateau de la Fare...

..after all the surprises...

None of this looks very good, does it?

Definitely seen better days.

Ugh, look what's behind it.

..Janet and Philip's not-so quick paint job has finally been completed.

And they've even started to deck the halls.

I am so happy.

It's been a mammoth task, but I think it looks fantastic.

Now we feel we're on top of things.

We really are going to have what feels like a new room for Christmas.

They can't put their festive feet up yet, though,

as with their family due in less than an hour,

Philip's still working on the base for their surprise rocking horse.

This is just a varnish.

I'm trying to replicate

the way it would have been when it was first made years ago.

I just feel it would've been varnished with a bit of paint on.

And I don't often get an opportunity to build things

for the family.

I like the idea of huge smiling faces at Christmas

when they get what Grandpa built for them.

This will dry fairly quickly, I would think.

To give it some extra sparkle, Philip's going bold.

When you look at the horse,

you're trying to choose a colour from the horse.

Now, this isn't exactly the blue there,

but it's pretty darn close.

I think the fact that we stained underneath already is

a good thing because it doesn't look brand spanking new.

I think it's going to be good.

All he needs now is Janet's seal of approval.

Wow.

What do you think?

I like it.

I really love the colour, Phil.

I think it's going to be a beautiful base for the horse.

Yeah. It looks brilliant.

It's time to down tools now, though...

Hello.

..as daughter, Penny,

three-year-old Ollie, and one-year-old Emily have arrived.

Do I get a hug?

Dad, how's it going?

How are you? Good.

Hey, darling. Hello.

Merry Christmas to Emily.

To have Penny here, the grandchildren,

and us, of course, it makes Christmas.

Which one first, Ollie?

These ones.

They look really good.

And to help everyone get in the festive mood,

there's a job for the littlest helpers.

Can you put this one on for me?

That looks pretty good.

Can you go one higher, to here?

I can.

Good boy.

Well done.

Let's make it straight, shall we?

OK, you gonna hop down?

The kids all really got into the Christmas spirit.

Tomorrow is really exciting

because we get to do the unveiling of the horse to them,

and I think that is going to be

that quintessential magic Christmas moment.

Whoa, job done.

It's a great start to the festive season,

but Philip still needs to get the rocking horse over

the finish line before tomorrow's big reveal.

Nearly 500 miles north, in the Charente,

it's the morning of Bart and Sarah's party.

We've had to call in the troops

because we just can't manage on our own.

It's got to the point that we are so far behind,

and hopefully, we'll get it all done on time.

It's a shame, but what you think will take five minutes takes 15.

Well, the more you talk, the less you work.

True.

First, Sarah and her party elves, Dawn and Ian,

have a knotty problem to tackle.

Here we go.

And this one's gotta go under your left arm.

That's it.

This is the last thing we need right now,

to be honest, with you, dangling with baubles

when we are under time pressure as it is.

I'll take this one.

OK, nobody touch the balls, OK?

Leave the balls alone.

Right, OK.

Next job.

With an eye on ELF and safety,

Bart's keen to smooth out the path.

And with no roller,

he's come up with an ingenious solution.

It's looking good.

Not as good as if I had the roller.

There's a lot more work involved than we ever imagined,

but hopefully, we'll get away with what we get done by

the end of day before the party starts.

Fingers crossed.

With pressure mounting,

Bart may soon find himself Sarah's naughty list.

If I do this,

I don't have to get involved

with everything that's going on over there.

Shh.

I'm gonna find my husband,

and I'm gonna get him to get the tarpaulin up

because that's a must if this evening's gonna be chilly and windy.

The band will be playing up at that end,

and we really need them to have some kind of warmth.

With Bart called back to the barn...

Need to be a little bit more festive.

..he tackles the supersize makeshift curtains.

Just gonna hang this with a second one just to cover the arch,

keep the breeze out...

..get it weighted on the bottom,

and that way, we'll have a happy band.

But like a lot of chateau jobs, it's easier said than done.

Oop, voila.

Black cable tie, please.

There we go.

Come on.

They may not be stylish.

They're certainly functional.

I think they need to be closed for this evening.

Time check, nearly three o'clock.

OK, so pin these to the side, do it later.

I think you should shut it.

It's one less job we have to do at 4.55pm

when we've got people arriving.

That's just my opinion.

If you want to do it later cos you think you've got loads of time,

you're very welcome to.

It's your choice.

Unfortunately for Bart,

it's not just the curtains he needs to fix.

We still have to put all the lights up,

we've still gotta get all the catering done,

we've gotta get all the food out,

and we've only a couple of hours to go.

With their first festive party hanging in the balance,

Bart and Sarah are ho-ho-hoping for a Christmas miracle.

Back near Bergerac,

Nick and Nicole have finished the walls and floor in their wine cave.

They now have some important Christmas shopping to do,

and luckily they don't have to travel far.

I'm really looking forward to this.

Yeah, me too.

Opposite the chateau is a winery...

Bonjour.

..run by their friend Guillaume...

Salut.

Ca va? Oui, oui, merci.

..and he's lined up some perfect festive wines for them to try.

So this one is the first dry white of the range.

I know already that I'm gonna like this.

Ooh.

Very different.

This is...

..very, very, very good.

Next, it's on to a Christmas morning tipple.

You can never go wrong with bubbles.

Bubbles is my favourite.

If I could stock 90% of our cave with bubbles, I would.

Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles.

Last, but not least, a special red for Christmas lunch.

The colour is phenomenal. Yeah, it's deep.

It's very deep.

Cheers. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.

Oh, wow.

There's a lot of...a lot of taste.

There's a punch.

Real deep kind of berry taste towards the end there.

This is perfect cos now we have something to put in our wine cave.

Yeah.

Shopping done, they head home.

Before they can add their new supplies,

the wine cave needs a few finishing touches.

First, Nick fits the all-important wine racks...

Done.

Yeah, really happy with that.

..then it's over to Nicole to deck the halls with some festive flair

and some of her bay tree trimmings.

See, this is the fun part.

This is definitely the fun part.

And, yeah, this is where you get to really be creative,

and this really gets me into the Christmas spirit, I must say.

Absolutely.

Oh, and the smell of this is fantastic.

I think it's starting to come together.

It's starting to feel like Christmas.

Finally, the wine can take pride of place.

It's been hard work,

but my goodness is it worth it when you see the result.

No, it's, I'm really, really pleased.

A week ago,

this cellar was a dark and dusty corner of Nick and Nicole's chateau.

Now, it's been transformed into a small

but perfectly formed wine cave.

The limestone walls have been brought back to life with new pointing,

and the floor laid with reclaimed terracotta tiles.

They've dressed the space with a wine barrel, and boxes...

..and added some Christmas magic with candles and sparkling trinkets.

Looks amazing. You've done such a good job.

Oh, well, you've done such a good job.

I just got to do the fun bit, which is the dressing.

Yeah, but it's beautiful.

Yeah, I know, but it is, I'm so incredibly pleased.

These now look so good, they're too good to actually drink.

I know.

We have our own wine cave.

Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.

This is really special. Really, really special.

Yeah, amazing. I love it.

It's been a busy year for these intrepid DIYers,

and new parents.

But with their final festive project complete,

they can pop a cork and step into Christmas in style.

Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.

Still to come,

Bart and Sarah are on party countdown...

Here we go.

Well, they look good.

Only another 99 sets to go.

..and Janet and Philip's daughter has a surprise of her own.

Oh, you've made me cry.

What a beautiful idea.

In the beautiful Occitanie region of southern France...

Honestly, it's incredible.

..Philip is giving daughter Penny

a sneak preview of his restored rocking horse.

The colours are incredible.

I know the kids will absolutely love it.

I hope so, yeah.

Although...this is a bit sad.

We need to work on that, don't we?

Yeah.

While they give the horse a new hairdo...

If I hand you the sweeties, can you put them into the bowl?

Yeah.

..in the kitchen, Janet's doing some Christmas baking

with Ollie and baby Emily.

I'm gonna give him a green mouth, look.

Oh, he's got a big smile.

Gingerbread men has always been a speciality in our household.

Are you gonna have a go now?

Good boy.

Keep going.

Now, do you want to stick some lollies on there?

He's angry, though.

Is he an angry one?

Yeah.

That's the way.

Good, Ollie.

Now, stick his shoes on.

How cool is that?

We're making a gingerbread family here.

Christmas is well and truly in the air.

But the real icing on the cake should be Philip's surprise.

That looks good, I think. Yeah, looks very good.

That looks, it's the right length, too.

It even hangs, it hangs really well. Yeah.

New tail fitted,

now they just need to add some rather special stirrups.

These little stirrup leathers were actually mine when I was a child.

It's incredible that you've kept them all this time,

so it's so fitting to be able to use them.

Yeah. I think that looks good.

All right, I'll go and get Mum.

OK.

With the rocking horse compete, it just needs Janet's blessing.

What do you think? Ah.

I think the stirrup leathers make a huge difference.

Fantastic.

And...what a glamorous tail.

I think there is something that we could maybe add

that would finish it off.

Maybe something like...

..a little plaque.

Ah.

Show me.

It's reimagined by Philip Barnard-Brown

at Chateau de la Fare 2024.

Oh, you've made me cry.

What a beautiful idea, Penny.

Penny, it's fabulous, darling.

Thank you.

You always go to so much effort, above and beyond,

for us, all the time, and it's just a tiny little thing.

And don't worry...

..I've got the screws.

It's a lovely touch for a job well done.

All that's left is to reveal it to the grandchildren.

One, two, three.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, it's coming.

Wow. Ah.

Is that pretty cool, is it?

Yeah.

Is it yours, is it? Yeah.

Do you want to get on it, do you? Yeah.

All right, let's go.

And don't forget, when you get on,

you put your feet in the stirrups, don't you?

Hold on tight.

Whoa.

Cool. How does it do it?

Do you like it? Yeah.

Is it big enough for you?

Yeah.

All right.

Whoa, Emily.

Wow.

It's proved to be the perfect present.

It is wonderful to see them all here

because Christmas is not Christmas without family.

After redecorating the hallway

and creating a treasured gift,

Janet and Philip can finally enjoy the festive season.

A few hours west, near Cognac,

Bart and Sarah are running out of time.

But Sarah's put out a Christmas party klaxon.

I've called in some more troops.

Lovely Gilly's here helping me do the cooking side of things.

We just need to get some of these mushrooms

and onions ready to go into the bain-marie

for the hot dogs this evening.

And I still have to glam myself up,

and that's gonna take a time.

That's been stirring.

There we go.

The barn, though, is glammed all the way up to the rafters.

It's time to test to see if the party lights are any good.

Here we go.

Well, they look good.

Only another 99 sets to go.

While the band set up, Bart works his festive magic.

And there we go.

In the kitchen,

the yuletide alarm bells are starting to ring.

Oh, my God, we've got an hour to go, just over,

and I need to get in the shower, I need to glam up,

I need to be ready to receive people, and I'm cooking.

What was once a bare barn full of piled up furniture...

..is now a glittering light-filled party pad

with garlands of fairy lights

and five twinkling chandeliers,

and handmade cognac vine decorations adorning

the original stone walls.

Outside, the newly laid path,

lined with colourful lights,

welcomes guests to Bart and Sarah's first-ever French Christmas.

Good evening.

Are you well? Yes.

We're gonna kick this off.

Before we do, I'd just like to say several thank yous to

the mini army who have really made this possible.

But most important of all, a big thank you to my husband

for really believing in me,

believing in our dream,

and being stupid enough to come on this adventure with me,

so thank you.

And we'd like to wish everybody a really merry Christmas!

Yay!

Soon, the night's filled with feasting,

friendship, and festive celebrations.

It's just absolutely amazing.

And the food, the people,

the French and the English interconnecting,

um, it is a good evening, really good.

They've done well.

We've had a wonderful evening. We have.

It's been a very nice evening. It's been really brilliant.

The lights were fantastic.

Unbelievable.

You did it.

We did it.

It actually has turned out really well.

We've pulled off an absolute smasher.

Yeah, and you know what,

everybody's in a really good spirit as well cos it's Christmas,

so it's brilliant.

I'm so chuffed how it's turned out.

Well done, you.

Well done, you.

For the first time in years,

La Grande Maison la Pinelle's Christmas spirit is alive

and ding donging merrily on high.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media