All language subtitles for chateau.diy.at.christmas.s04e05.1080p.web.h264-cbfm[EZTVx.to]_[English] (SUBRIP)

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