Even as autumn leaves begin to fall to the ground, Yorkshire is already lighting up for Christmas. Two very different experiences, one inside a historic house, the other beneath the winter sky, show how the season can be made magical, personal, and unforgettable.
Harewood at Christmas
At Harewood, designer Siobhan Murphy has transformed the house into a Regency-inspired wonderland. Known for her unapologetically maximalist style and her mission to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, Siobhan has created A Glittering Invitation: Harewood’s Grand Christmas Ball, a celebration of colour, sparkle, and theatre. Every room is a canvas for her imagination; velvet ribbons, glittering ornaments, and dazzling decorations bring the past and present into a world of festive fantasy.
Yet the real heart of Harewood’s Christmas is the community of volunteers who have brought it to life. More than 50 people have given hundreds of hours to craft thousands of decorations from upcycled and second-hand materials. Vintage books have been transformed into festive flourishes, pre-loved tutus reborn as ornaments, and countless baubles, ribbons, and paper flowers painstakingly created by hand.
Some volunteers worked weekends and evenings; others held workshops at home, sharing skills and sewing alongside grandchildren. By October half term, the total number of handmade decorations is expected to exceed 10,000. This labour of love adds warmth and humanity to the spectacle.
The magic doesn’t stop there, however. There’ll also be a charming miniature trail created by nine artists, including Yorkshire’s Michael Robbins and Arabella Duffy. Add in festive cakes from Bake Off’s Helena Garcia, and you can see how enchanting it’s shaping up to be. This is evident from comments made in previous years. As one-woman Mary Westmoreland put it on social media:
“Seeing the excitement and pure joy on your child’s face is so emotional.”
For many families, a family photo beneath the Christmas tree on the terrace is now a tradition in the making.
Christmas at Harlow Carr
Meanwhile, Glow at RHS Harlow Carr in Harrogate offers a very different kind of magic. From 19 November, the gardens will be transformed after dark, with trees, bridges, and lakes glowing in thousands of lights.
Behind the scenes it is every bit as collaborative as Harewood: a team of seven lighting specialists from SLX spend a week working with Harlow Carr’s public programming staff and garden team – who know every path and corner of the site – to weave the lights into the landscape. The result is a trail that feels both spectacular and rooted in the spirit of the gardens.
What makes Glow so special is the way familiar paths are made new. Reflections ripple across the water, a bare winter tree glows in unexpected hues, and visitors find themselves seeing the gardens afresh. As one visitor wrote, “Beautiful lit gardens at night, a really magical evening for all ages. We had an amazing time!” Another called it “a spectacular festive event that has become an essential part of our family Christmas”.
Festive traditions in Yorkshire
Together, Harewood and Harlow Carr reveal the many ways Yorkshire celebrates Christmas. Harewood revels in human creativity and communal craft, a riot of colour and Regency elegance; Glow enchants with atmosphere, reflection, and the quiet thrill of seeing a familiar landscape transformed by light. Both invite visitors into a story, a shared experience that lingers long after the decorations are packed away.
Whether you prefer the sparkle of handmade decorations, the joy of a festive trail, or the hush of a winter garden illuminated by light, this season in Yorkshire promises memories that families will carry for years to come.
Tickets for Harewood are on sale now at harewood.org/christmas, whilst for Glow at Harlow Carr visit harlowcarrbookings@rhs.org.uk.
