Christmas Photos from Lalande! (Patreon)

Hello everyone!!!! As Philip’s parents are only here for a few days and we’re spending as much time as possible with them, I’ll release this week’s Patreon video on Friday instead of tonight. But I wanted to make sure that you received a little something extra from Lalande this evening. Michael Potts and Philip have given me some of their photos of our Christmas trees and our tartan table, and I’m very happy to share them with you all!

We had a lovely Christmas together, nothing makes me happier than seeing Lalande full of my loved ones sharing these moments together. These homes were built for large families and many guests, and it feels right when all of the doors are open in the enfilade and people are flitting between the rooms, laughing and chatting. Christmas Day is easily my favorite day of the year, surrounded by family and friends, all working towards a common goal. My aunt, uncle and Stewart cooked up a delicious storm, Michael churned out extraordinary quantities of home baked bread, and kept the drinks flowing, Pavlina and Jared turned the chateau into a magical winter garden, Amaury worked tirelessly in the courtyard through freezing temperatures to improve the infrastructure of Lalande, Philip created our most beautiful Christmas trees yet, and the epic ‘Out-Lalander’ table setting, whilst I did my utmost to capture it for you all (and for my future self!) in the daily Christmas Diaries.

I hope you enjoyed joining us - I’d love to hear your favorite moments, or any suggestions you might have for next year. I can’t thank you enough for your support during what has been a roller coaster of a month here, from the devastation of the structural news we received at the beginning of December, to the joy of Christmas, with a lot of adventures, exhaustion, laughter, illness and travel in between! In every difficult moment I’ve felt buoyed up by you all, more than you could imagine. You are all the greatest gift that this chateau has ever received - I can’t wait to see the structural work on the chateau and chapel, and the new heating installation, start in 2023!!!

Lots and lots of love to you all, and see you on Friday!

Stephanie