Tredegar House is a beautiful National Trust 17th Century House and gardens, set over 90 acres of park and gardens. There are many events held during the year and we attended the Christmas event. It is very easy to find located in Newport, junction 28 off the M4.
I would recommend arriving early in the day as the tour of the house needed to be booked and you were given a time slot to when you can enter. The car park does get busy and there is an overflow grass car park.
The walk from the entrance to the house is fantastic. At Christmas time there were lots of activities for the girls to do such as hanging Christmas bobbles on the trees on the way to the house.
The gardens also had a Scrooge style makeover with characters to find.
Whilst we waited to enter the house there were lots of other activities to take part in such as making crafts in the stable with twigs, moss, leaves and ribbon which was really enjoyable.
It was very festive and we choose to visit the weekend before Christmas which made it feel extra Christmassy.
All the staff in the house were dressed up in character to the theme of A Christmas Carol. You will see the iconic characters from the classic Charles Dickens novel such as Scrooge, Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and yet to come.
One of the ghosts was dancing with me in the kitchen. There was a chance to have a sneaky kiss under the mistletoe, stir a Christmas pudding and learn the tradition of the silver sixpence.
The house incorporated some wonderful tradition for the children to take part in such as decorating the Christmas tree with handmade paper chains and Christmas carols being played on the piano and the children joining in.
Scrooge stole the show; he was counting his money and was full of bah humbug. There were beautifully decorated trees in every room, great carol singing, mulled wine, mince pies and knowledgeable, friendly staff.
For the children the highlight was making the pomanders and an unhurried visit to Father Christmas in his lovely grotto, with their magic red ticket.
Father Christmas can be found downstairs in the house, where visitors queue to meet him. The house was busy and we waited for about 20 minutes to see him. Every child receives a small gift.
There is a lovely café within the grounds selling homemade soups, cawl, sandwiches and cakes. There is also a kiosk outside selling homemade shortbread, mince pies, mulled wine and hot drinks. There was a seated Christmas craft area for children next to the eateries.
Next to the cafe there was another room within Tredegar house that gave the children and adults a chance to make hand crafted Christmas decorations.
There were a few shops and lots of Christmas craft stalls offering unique gift ideas. You could buy a variety of things including; wooden crafts, woven rugs and throws, picture frames and cushions, honeys, jams and marmalades, as well as fudge and truffles.
We really enjoyed the experience and it was a bit more unique than a traditional visit to Father Christmas in a garden centre.
We wrapped up warm and enjoyed a winter stroll through the house and gardens. The gardens also welcome dogs in the park areas.
Top Tip: if you have a bank account with NatWest there was a voucher to print out which allowed complimentary access to a National Trust Property. You are allowed two visits per year and this was a really good use of the voucher.