It’s getting to the time in the year when people are starting to think about Christmas. Where to spend it, what to do?

So, think Winter, think cosy fireside snugs, think Lake District Christmas breaks. Whether it’s for a works party for the night or to an organised Christmas hotel break, the Lake District is the destination of choice for the festive period.

With such a choice of high quality Lake District hotels offering Christmas hotel breaks, it isn’t hard to understand why so many people choose to spend their Christmas in the Lake District. What could be better than being able to walk off that Christmas dinner with a walk up one of the many Lake District fells. For those who aren’t quite as energetic, purely taking in the spectacular views is an activity in itself.
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For the first time ever, the Lodore Falls Hotel in the Borrowdale Valley will have a very unique theme for Christmas.

The Lodore Falls Hotel on the edge of Derwentwater will be filled with decorations depicting the Nutcracker Ballet -– complete with tutu’s and pink ballet shoes hanging from the ceiling. What’s more the Lodore will also be creating Russian inspired dishes for the menu and a gala afternoon tea with a performance of the Nutcracker Ballet.

The idea to create a real first in Cumbria came from Kit Graves, Director of the Lake District Hotels Ltd group, who saw a stunning Nutcracker display in one of Denmark’s most famous stores last Christmas. Work started on the 2010 Christmas Nutcracker story very early in January and hotel florist Tricia Irving has been sourcing inspirational ways to decorate the hotel ever since.

Decorating the hotel will start in early November and will be completed by 14th November, ready for launch of the Lodore Falls Christmas menu on the 15th November and the afternoon tea with an edited performance of the Nutcracker Ballet on Sunday 21st November.

The hotel contacted Karen Starkey who runs the Karen Starkey Dance School in Whitehaven early this spring. Karen enthusiastically agreed to some of her pupils performing a short version of the Nutcracker during the festive period and was especially thrilled because one of her pupils – Lewis Charlton, is performing in the Nutcracker at the Royal Ballet School.

Earlier this week Tricia and Karen got together to look at costumes and consider how to blend floral and ballet accessories with Christmas décor. The ballet pupils have now been selected and the 20 + team of performers are now rehearsing for the event. The performers range from age 9 to 24 with several of the ballerinas performing point work.

Tickets for the Nutcracker Ballet and afternoon tea cost £15 adult, £7.50 child (family ticket 2 adult 2 children £40). Other Nutcracker themes include Russian inspired dishes on the bar menu, a special Cumbria Life luncheon on 2nd December and music on selected Sundays during lunch.

To find out more about Christmas events at the Lodore Falls Hotel, part of the Lake District Hotels Ltd group, visit http://www.lakedistricthotels.net/lodorefalls/index.php

Christmas is approaching fast and many people are starting to think about gifts for friends and family. Each year this task gets harder and harder! Often, the gifts people remember the most are gift experiences not objects. Lake District Hotels Ltd are pleased to offer a solution to the age old gift buying problem in the form of gift vouchers which can be selected for use in any one of their six hotels.

The gift vouchers have been created to suit every taste, requirement and budget. For example, the hotel break vouchers are available for one or two nights and range from a standard room right up to a luxury four poster room. Other vouchers include food and drink vouchers which incorporate a two course lunch for four people voucher or a £25 wine voucher, vouchers for afternoon tea and spa vouchers which include luxury massages and manicure treatments or full “well being” spa breaks. If you aren’t sure or simply can’t decide on which voucher to buy, a monetary gift voucher for one of the hotels in an excellent idea. They come in values starting at £25 up to £250. Gift vouchers take away the worry of buying the correct size or colour for a present and they allow the versatility to be used at a time that suits them.

The luxury Lake District Hotels Ltd group consists of six luxury hotels in the Lake District, The Inn on the Lake on the shores of Ullswater, The Lodore Falls on the shores of Derwentwater, The Borrowdale Hotel in the Borrowdale Valley, The George Hotel in Penrith and finally the Kings Arms and Skiddaw Hotel in Keswick.

For more information visit http://www.lakedistricthotels.net and http://www.lakedistricthotels.net/giftvouchers/.