Enjoy the perfect winter this year with the Trust – magical experiences, fun-packed Christmas activities, and beautiful gifts to warm the heart.
Explore this winter
Wrap up warm, and get exploring some of Scotland’s most beautiful landscapes, enjoying the clarity of views that the winter light often brings. Snow-capped mountains and glittering trees are sure to bring a smile on the chilliest of days! And then relax in one of our many cafés and tearooms – the perfect post-walk treat. We’ve introduced some delicious new ranges this year, which we’re excited to share with you.
And if the cold weather is just not for you? Not to worry – we have lots of cosy castles, houses and museums to explore, filling your days with delightful discoveries and stories from Scotland’s past.
Make winter 2024 the best ever, and share special experiences all across Scotland with family and friends.
Special Christmas events
We’re hosting magical events for all ages all across Scotland this year to get everyone in the festive spirit .... and giving you the chance to see our places in a different light! Tickets sell out fast, so make sure you book a place soon.
Christmas at Castle Fraser (Fri–Mon, from 22 Nov until 21 Dec): Discover the history of Christmas as you explore Castle Fraser. The castle will be open for festive self-guided tours, where you can admire Christmas decorations representing different periods from the past 400 years. There will also be a fun festive children’s trail inside the castle. The tearoom will have a selection of festive treats and the shop will be open with some perfect gifts for Christmas.
Christmas at Culzean (Sat 7–Sun 29 Dec): There’s a wide range of events taking place to celebrate the festive season at Culzean this year, including a special trail around the country park, festive markets and the chance to meet Santa in the beautifully decorated castle.
Jingle Owl the Way at RBBM (7 & 8 Dec): Santa and his feathery owl friends are making their way to Burns Cottage for our magical Christmas event! Write your letter to Santa, meet the owls who will deliver your wish list to the North Pole, and even grab a chat with the main man himself.
Father Christmas at Castle Fraser (7, 8, 14 & 15 Dec): Write your letter to Father Christmas and post it to the North Pole, before visiting his festive grotto inside the traditionally decorated castle to tell the man himself your Christmas wishes.
Santa Experience at House of the Binns (7, 8, 14, 15, 21 & 22 Dec): Santa will meet you in the Blue Room of the house, which will be magically decorated by Santa’s elves. Receive a special holiday gift and a seasonal certificate.
Falkland Palace Santa Experience (14, 15, 21 & 22 Dec): Visit Santa’s favourite Scottish palace! This year Santa will be nestled in our Bakehouse, which is beautifully decorated and ready for your little ones to tell him their Christmas wishes, then leave with a present picked just for them.
Santa’s Grotto at House of Dun (14 & 15 Dec): Tell Santa all your Christmas wishes and receive a special gift. Don’t forget to write your Christmas letters and post them in our magical postbox.
Christmas Courtyard at House of Dun (22 Dec): Join us for a festive singalong in our beautiful courtyard, accompanied by Montrose Brass Band performing traditional Christmas carols. Festive treats will be available to purchase from our pop-up café, and there’ll be a selection of craft stalls for those last-minute Christmas presents!
Check our place pages on the website to see more events happening near you this winter.
Did you know?
Burning a rowan twig to settle ill feeling between family and friends is an old Scottish Christmas tradition!
Find out more
Find the perfect gift
Looking to find the perfect present for someone you love this year? We’ve got a brilliant selection of gift ideas, from membership and dedications to one-of-a-kind products.
For a perfectly wrapped present waiting under the tree on Christmas morning, browse our hand-picked Christmas Gift Guide to find exclusive and sustainable gifts for all the people you love most. Support Scottish makers and businesses and avoid the hassle of a trip to the high street. 100% of the profits from every item go towards protecting Scotland’s heritage.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for something a bit different this year, here are four fab ideas for gifts that are good for the soul, good for the environment, and good for Scotland’s heritage.
Gift membership
Treat someone special to a year of new experiences whilst helping to protect the amazing places in our care. With so many different places to visit, and so much to see and do across the country, your gift recipient can look forward to exploring the very best of Scotland.
Plus, if you’ve left the post date a little bit late (!), you can buy a gift membership online and receive a temporary membership card and car parking pass by email right away.
Dedicate a tree
Help protect the Scotland we all share in by dedicating a tree this Christmas. For yourself or for a loved one, in celebration or in memory, help us to nurture and protect Scotland’s wonderful woodlands for generations to come. Your dedication will go towards one of the many woodlands we’re restoring across the country.
ROOTS
Know someone with a passion for gardening? Gift them a ROOTS subscription and they’ll get a pack every six weeks, with gardening gifts including Scottish seed packs, stories about Scotland’s plant life and tips from expert Trust gardeners.
Scottish Heritage Lottery
A simple but powerful way to support our work and protect the things we all love about Scotland – enter someone into our lottery or raffle and give them the chance of winning great prizes while supporting the Trust as a charity.
A winter holiday
Fancy dreaming by the fire, and then a walk in a winter wonderland? We have many cosy cottages across the country with fireplaces – all, of course, approved by Santa!
Share the festive season with someone special, and find a cosy cottage to book this winter.
Activities at home
If a day indoors is on the cards, there are lots of lovely things you can do with family and friends, from baking, to cross-stitching, to curling up on the sofa and enjoying one of our award-winning podcasts!
Traditional Scottish recipes
We’ve gathered some of our favourite recipes to help you make delicious festive treats at home.
Tasty Christmas recipe – gingerbread men
Head Chef Ivor at Newhailes House & Gardens in Musselburgh shares his traditional gingerbread men recipe with us, the perfect treat for the festive season.
Tasty Christmas recipe – gluten-free and dairy-free Christmas pudding
This delicious Christmas pudding makes a great finish to the Christmas day meal.
Tasty Christmas recipe – sweet potato, butternut and red pepper soup
Whether it’s for a cold winter’s day, a party or the big day itself, we hope you’ll enjoy this tasty Christmas soup.
Fun craft activities
Get creative this year and choose from our favourite Christmas craft ideas, including colourful pine cone Christmas trees and a cute puffin cross stitch.
Family Christmas crafts
Try our festive crafts for children and adults, including using items foraged from nature for eco-friendly Christmas tree decorations.
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed: squirrel craft
It’s time to get artistic and create this beautiful red squirrel, just like the ones you might spot in some of our countryside places.
Try at home: puffin cross stitch
This cross stitch pattern has been inspired by a sampler from the collection at Leith Hall, which you can see as part of the Stitched exhibition in Edinburgh.