It is usually a rule in the family to ignore all things Christmasy until the 1st of December, but we are doing things differently this year - Our entrance hall/gallery and panelled parlour are being transformed into a Christmas Shop, full of goodies made by Scottish artists (Nik Munro, Lucy Brydon and Nikki Monaghan), including some of our talented family members (Alice Harman SBA, and Letitia Smith-Burnett).

The top turret bedroom is now being used as a winter workshop, where pine cones from the wilderness are being scented with essential oils, and decorations are being sewn or hand painted. Although there have been times of stress (as the sewing machine's thread gets tangled again) it has been lovely creating gifts using leaves and cones gathered on the estate, buttons and beads found in old cigar boxes, and fragments of vintage Christmas fabrics discovered in the wardrobe. It's a good thing the Burnett's have never liked throwing anything out!

We hope everyone who visits this weekend enjoys the mixture of old and new on display, gaining inspiration from Christmas past, as well as from the beautiful contemporary creations our artists have made.