Christmas Camping AKA Grotto In My Garden....

[ExileOnMNStreet]

Inspired by a recent camping thread, I thought this might be the topic where people would appreciate my FABULOUS Christmas related idea

Following on from the success of camping in our garden as our Summer Holiday this year, I give you...

CHRISTMAS CAMPING

I am planning to put my tent up in the garden again in December and decorate it with Christmas blankets, cushions, fairy lights, a heater, hot chocolate and tinsel tasteful decorations (which I will keep well away from the heater!)

It will be my Grotto in the Garden and I will be able to use the house WiFi to watch Christmas films in it. I could also do my wrapping in it, listening to Christmas music and troughing mince pies

I am beyond excited. DH did this face but I think you like minded people might appreciate it...

Awaits influx of people saying "YABU" DESPITE THIS BEING IN THE CHRISTMAS TOPIC NOT AIBU and people saying "why are you mentioning Christmas in August" DESPITE THIS BEING IN THE CHRISTMAS TOPIC

Sounds brilliant to me, but substitute the hot chocolate for mulled wine/cider

dd has a shed in the garden, i wonder if i could turn it into a christmas grotto, same as your idea but in a shed, amazing idea why have i never thought of this. Dh will think ive gone completely mad though so may have to do it in secret

I like the idea, but it would depend on how effectively the heater heated it as to whether I would enjoy it.

I love idea of having a grotto for wrapping and films!

I do appreciate the insanity of the plan though!

Lipwig I would have liked mulled wine (or Baileys!) but I used to have an alarming tendency to drink the whole lot and channel Father Jack The tent would be destroyed

Oooh. I also have an electric heated throw. And an electric blanket.

Sounds brilliant to me, but substitute the hot chocolate for mulled wine/cider

Err... winter pimms you mean.

I think it sounds wonderful! I'd love a little bell tent with wood burning stove. Twinkly lights, sheepskin rugs, a little tree, Christmas films... it would be so magical.
Unfortunately it wouldn't fit in my garden (it's on a hill, split into 5 sections on different levels, the largest being approx 2.5sqm)
Please do it, and please post photos x

I could put a Christmas tree in it!

Now I feel like I need a large bell tent to accommodate all this...

Great minds think alike re bell tent!

I'm going to get reindeer antlers for the cat

Omg this sounds so, so, great! BUT! I cant help but feel anxious about the he ater/tent combo... Please be careful lol

I read your op imagining doing all this hunched over in my teeny two-man tent before it dawned on me that your tent is obviously considerably bigger than mine
Any tips on how to convince dh that we need to buy a bigger tent without committing myself to the hell of actually camping in it?

This threa d makes me want to buy a shed, purely to turn it into a gingerbread style den for Christmas.

Alan simple, buy the gigantic tent, have your Garden Grotto and on the 1st January, drink all the mulled wine and fall over, sadly ripping the tent beyond repair. Poor Christmas tent. The tent of Christmas past.

nice plan OP. Am now thinking about a Christmas gazebo. :-)

And heating a tent is ok so long as it's not a barbeque or real fire as carbon monoxide poisoning would be an issue.

Shamelessly stealing this idea. I have a tired old Bell tent that is asking for the glitter treatment....

Inspired!

Ah feck it, I've only just painted my shed last month and now I want to redo it as a gingerbread house.

girlinleeds secret Christmas shed!! how will you put people off the scent?!

Well don't have any secret sheds smelling of gingerbread anyway!!!

Sounds awesome

You've all gorn mad... mad i tell you...

wonders if dd would help me train Basset to wear antlers

Seasonal Shed also very good idea

I have given the tent some more thought and decided I need a yurt. Just so I can call it The Yuletide Yurt.

I'm going to do this! I shall try and remember to report back. I'm actually thinking a MN Christmas party in the Yuletide Yurt would be excellent fun...

The expectation in my head of the MN Christmas party in the Yuletide Yurt...