Christmas can be a strange time of year for Expats. Many find themselves torn between having a quiet but convenient festive period in their host country – tempted by the promise of endless lie-ins, not having to worry about smuggling presents anywhere from Father Christmas (and managing to keep them out of sight), and ultimately not having to pack a mountain of gubbins into a small space to take with you anywhere (whether flying or driving, I have recently discovered).
But along with this comes the consideration that a lot of friends here (both expat and otherwise) usually also make a mass exodus at this time of year, and you can find yourself committing to a seriously quiet festive season, without any of the manic get-togethers, family parties or any of the traditions that you can’t export that make it all really Christmas…
It was whilst having a secret cry over the sprouts last Christmas morning whilst getting the feast ready for our quiet, convenient (lonely but lovely) Bavarian Christmas, that I vowed we would be spending the next Yule at home, with loved ones. But where exactly?
It was important to find somewhere that could accommodate 7 of us (including my little sister, brother in law and small dog), that was in a nice location not too far from where we needed to be, and most importantly, could feel like a real home during Christmas week. And thankfully, we found it in the form of Dines Barn, deep in the heart of the Hampshire countryside…
a table big enough for ping pong – do click through to have a look at more pictures of Dines Barn, the ones I took hardly do it justice…
If I were to convert a barn, I would hope that the outcome might look like this – bright, spacious, with a fabulous kitchen, an adequate number of bathrooms, nice bedrooms and lots of storage (to hide the gubbins!). Like Dines Barn, it would also have no immediate neighbours, so you could sing Christmas songs as loudly as you liked without bothering anyone.
Little touches made it feel all the more welcoming (the owners are truly lovely folk who will leave you in peace unless you need them!) with a basket full of lovely things waiting for us on arrival, plus milk and butter in the fridge. White company toiletries in the bathrooms, and plenty of fixtures and fittings that were of a really high quality helped make you feel like you were trusted with a real house, rather than simply a holiday property…
The owners, had also (unbeknownst to us) provided a little Christmas tree, which thanks to my sister taking her own tree down, bringing it with her and putting it back up again, spent the festive season in the Small People’s room, which they thought was the best thing ever…
Mother Nature also treated us to some pretty spectacular sky paintings for us in the form of clouds and sunsets while we were there, and generously chucked in plenty of wildlife spotting opportunities too. I am not joking when I say I could happily have stayed there forever…
But for me, being surrounded by acres and acres of the most gorgeous rolling English countryside AND a lot of my nearest and dearest was better than any other Christmas Present I received, and was definitely worth the extra effort. I have never really been one for quiet and convenient most of the time…
A very decent English “Champagne” for an English Christmas morning – what else?
Ooh yes this is my kind of place – spacious and modern but not clinical either. I clicked through for a good nosey at the website. Very impressed.
You would love it Trish. It’s perfect! :)
Best Christmas ever!! Thanks for having us xxx
Thank you for putting up with us! :D xxx
This looks gorgeous! Even more exciting is the fact that I can now put this lovely place on my ‘to do’ list instead of my ‘maybe someday’ list! So glad you had just the right sort of Christmas!
And not all that far from your new gaff! Definitely different to Seoul! :) Thank you! Hope you’re settling in! xx
I am glad to hear that you had such a nice Christmas. What a lovely touch that they put a tree up.
Sweet of them wasn’t it? Thanks J! :)
What a beautiful Christmas; looks like the perfect compromise between quiet and chaos! :)
It really was. Thanks Lisa! :)
That all sounds so wonderful….. and so very Christmassy.
How kind of your sister. I’m so glad that you got to spend Christmas at ‘home’ with family :-) xx
Thank you J. It was a really special time! xx
What a great idea, sounds like you had a lovely time. :)
The light and skies in your photos are amazing.
Happy New Year! xx
Thanks so much, and Happy New Year! :) xx
Looks perfect, Emma. So glad you had a good break. We missed Hampshire this year, despite having fun in Wales!
I can imagine. Hope you had a lovely one though! xx
A beautiful holiday destination, to be highly recommended. Of course I am biased, but Dines Barn really was very special. x
Thanks Mum, it was wasn’t it? x
That barn looks beautiful. I’m so glad you had a lovely Christmas and that the effort was worth it. xxx
Completely worth the effort! Thanks Emma! :) xxx
I love the second pink sky picture the best. The space of it and the stripes, I just love it.
Taking your (sister’s) own tree is pretty cool.
I cried once on a lonely new year’s eve and swore it would never happen again, thrown a party every year since. Sometimes you have to write your own happiness. Well done you x
Thank you! Your New Years always look fabulous. Be careful you might have a lot of people turning up on your doorstep! :) XX
It looks just perfect! What a wonderful spot to spend the festive period in!
Thanks so much Ginger! :)
Those skies!! I remember the expat dilemma well. It was so hard to know what to do for best. Sounds like you made the BEST choice. Happy New Year! x
And one day I shall look forward to Christmases like the one you have just had too! Thanks Rachel! :) xx
Oh my goodness those skies are just beautiful – whenever I see beautiful skies I’m usually at work or driving so I cant take a photo x x
Thank you Cass! :) xx
You were so close! Soon I will freak you out and holiday nearby to you *hatches plan*
It looks like a great space there – and so sweet that they left you a tree! Your sister sounds awesome too!
You have to Annie, that would be fabulous! :) It was lovely, thank you and yes, she’s not so bad, sometimes! (joking Victoria!) :D xx
Ha! Ha!xx
Wow – those are some gorgeous skies that you’ve managed to capture there. And the barn looks wonderful too. x
Thanks Penny, it’s a gorgeous spot! :) x
This totally looks like the ideal Christmas to me! Something about not having your everyday normal clutter along with all the Christmas presents and memorabilia really appeals to me. And what lovely surroundings too.
Thanks so much Debra, completely recommend it! :)
It looks like you had a wonderful Christmas and the weather was kind to you. Such a great idea! It was nice to have Christmas lunch cooked for me this year – will definitely look into going away at Christmas in the future. Sim x
I don’t think I could do it every year, but once in a while it is really lovely to go home! :) Thank you! xx
Oh how wonderful. Love the fact that it wasn’t surrounded by other properties.Will have a look and maybe visit in the summer.
Thanks Otilia xx