Near the end of November, the Shans went on holiday to Center Parcs Longford, to kickstart our Christmas season. We've been before around that time of year, and it's always the perfect way to get in the holiday mood -- they have all their Christmas decorations up, Santa has taken up residence, but it's just about far enough ahead of the peak Christmas period so you don't end up having to pay an arm and a leg!!! :-)

The first photo was taken not long after we'd arrived on site (even before we'd checked into our lodge), inside a big bauble which greets visitors at the entrance to the main hub of the site.

The second was taken in a forested section which is beautifully lit up at night, with lovely Christmas music playing as you go on the short walk. You can also buy wristbands that interact with the lights -- Dante thought that was a very cool idea, but Daddy Shan felt (and still feels!) like they were a bit of a rip-off!!

The last two were taken on the walk into the festive village, where Santa is waiting for good little boys and elves (and circus freaks!). Yes, that's a real ice cream in Gaia's hand -- as far as our kids are concerned, it's never too cold to enjoy a good ice cream! And Dante, as you can see in the final photo, was a bundle of joy every minutes of the time!!! :-) :-) :-)

Of course, to REALLY get into the Christmas spirit, you don't have to go to Center Parcs or even spend a single penny or cent! Because SHANTA CLAUS is waiting for you on my web site!!! This is a FREE short story, which I post every year around this time, and it features Shanta going about his annual rounds, and bumping into a surprising number of characters from my books... as well as the author of those books! Click on the following link before I take it down again shortly after Christmas Day: https://darrenshan.com/extras/feature/short-stories-shanta-claus-only-available-at-christmas-yuletide-favourite2