-If you're after a Christmas to remember in a perfect chocolate box setting, where could be better than the Cotswolds?

-The Cotswold stone is lit up by all the fairy lights.

It's the beginning of Christmas for us.

-Welcome.

Come in.

-We like to make sure people come here and have a good time and celebrate.

-All the very best.

-But the Cotswolds are really transformed by the tireless efforts of those that call it home.

-It's very hard work, but we do love it.

-From the bustling market towns... -One more for the shelf.

-...stunning stately homes... -It's always a challenge.

-It is.

Oh, watch the chandelier.

-...and in the beautiful countryside... -We're doing about a kilometer and a half of lights.

Quite a busy day.

-He's cute, isn't he?

He puts a smile on my face.

-...they're all working hard to create a Cotswolds Christmas to remember.

-Starting to feel quite Christmasy.

-Christmas has definitely arrived in the Cotswolds.

-Merry Christmas!

♪♪ -First, for anyone scratching their Santa s hat wondering where the Cotswolds are, you'll need to head to southwest England, where nestling between Bath, Cheltenham, and Oxford is an area of gorgeous rolling countryside which stretches across five counties.

38 million visitors come to the region each year.

And around Christmas, as the night's drawing, the stunning sandstone villages and towns really start to shine.

On the northern edge of the region in Worcestershire is Broadway, which draws in thousands of visitors and celebrities alike.

Plenty of well-known faces are regularly seen wandering through the village in their wax jackets, from Jeremy Clarkson to Sue Barker.

Its famous high street is one of the longest in England, and every year something special happens as Broadway's main thoroughfare prepares to welcome in the season of goodwill with a festive evening to get everyone in the Christmas spirit.

-One more for the shelf.

-Sheila Campbell has been a shopkeeper in Broadway for decades.

-I've been making chocolates for 37 years and we've been in this shop for 37 years, so we're just about learning how to do it.

-She's had many a famous customer over the years, including Simon Cowell, and Sheila wants every Christmas treat she makes to have the X factor.

-I'm just going to make up a single layer box.

-Sheila's busy making sure she's well stocked for the late-night Christmas opening.

-I'm just going to wrap this up in a nice festive ribbon.

Perfect for this time of year.

Everybody wants to work the Christmas late-night shopping because it's such a buzz.

Yet another box ready for the shelf.

Broadway late-night shopping extravaganza, it was quite small in the early days, but it's grown and grown in popularity, and people come every year and they come from a long way away.

You know, it's surprising, really, but I think when you see it, the magic of Broadway comes -- it really does come alive.

It's properly the start of Christmas.

♪♪ -Across the village in a community hall, a group of locals are hard at work rehearsing.

The Evesham Concert Band are booked as the headline entertainment for Broadway's festive Friday night.

-Okay, I thought you could give it a bit more welly right at the end.

-Peter Scott is the band director.

-Right, okay.

Now this is going to be the exercise in coordination, isn't it?

Ding dong, merrily on high.

Shall we go as fast as we can and see if it works?

I think you'll probably find it difficult to find a wind player who doesn't actually enjoy going out and playing carols towards Christmas.

There's nothing like it.

My job is to hold everything together.

It contributes to a happy band.

That's not quite in tune, though, isn't it?

We've got flutes, clarinets, trumpets, basically any instrument that you can blow into and make a noise with.

-The band have played at Broadway's Christmas kickoff for almost a decade.

One of their favorite dates in the calendar.

-Last year, they played a tango and a couple of people came up and started dancing.

Why not let it all hang out?

-The brass is warm and the reeds in tune.

Now all they need is an audience to enjoy the merriment.

♪♪ -Okay, so see you Friday on Lower Green at Broadway.

Wear something very warm.

Right, class dismissed.

♪♪ -Four days later and Christmas is about to descend on Broadway.

Stallholders from all over the region have come to sell a cup of good cheer.

-How are we doing?

-Good.

Thank you.

-It's looking great.

And lots of light as well.

That's exactly what we need.

Lots of lights.

-If you need something done in Broadway, Anona Van Lawik is the woman to speak to.

-I love Christmas.

I absolutely love Christmas.

Christmas for me could start earlier.

I don't mind.

Everyone's complaining about when the Christmas tunes come on the radio, and I'm just all up for it.

Christmas I'm fine to start in October.

We now have visitors traveling from across the country to come and enjoy the gorgeous Cotswold village all lit up with the lights and do a bit of Christmas shopping while they're here.

-Anona's in charge of making sure everyone in the village has the tinsel up on time and delicious treats ready to dish out.

-We've got a range of food stalls.

We've got -- You'll be able to get some lovely mulled wines and coffee and do some Christmas gift buying as well.

-But not everyone has their ducks in a row like Anona.

-Can you remember your number and your location?

-21 on the corner.

-21 on the corner.

Can I reposition you to here?

That would probably be a better place for you, wouldn't it?

Let me move that car and then you can have that spot.

-Thank you.

-Marvelous.

All the best-laid plans.

Everything changes.

Everybody needs a tweak.

Everybody needs to move just slightly this way, to that, to the left or whatever.

-There's just a couple of hours before thousands of visitors make their way in and Broadway comes to life.

Deep breath, Anona.

-I think we're going to plan now for this evening.

We've got a few more things to come together.

It'll get very exciting when our band arrives.

I think we're there.

We're good.

-Coming up, it's all antlers on deck as Clare and Andrew prepare to open the doors of their festive reindeer experience.

-People say, "What do they do for the rest of the year?"

Muck about, nothing.

-And boutique hotel chef Nick creates a festive afternoon tea to remember.

-It's been really tough tasting and retasting all these dishes.

I'm getting a bit of a Santa Claus belly.

-The Cotswolds is an area shaped by farming.

Once the center of England's wool trade, sheep have grazed these pastures since Roman times.

However, in the village of Ampney Crucis, on the southern border of the Cotswolds, a very unusual herd of animals is preparing for its most hectic time of year.

Meet the Cotswolds reindeer herd, a 21-strong clan who've called this corner of the English countryside their home for over 15 years.

Looking after these Santa's sidekicks are herders Andrew Woodward and Clare Ward.

-We've got Sven.

-Dimitri with the one antler and Grace, as always, lying down.

-We love them.

They're all very individual.

They're all very different.

They're great fun.

-Once just Christmas tree farmers with a passion for reindeer, Clare and Andrew decided to begin showing off the herd six years ago, opening their doors over the Christmas period so families can enjoy a little slice of Lapland in the Cotswolds.

-It just seemed appropriate that with the Christmas trees, if we had reindeer.

That'd also cover the base of us being able to have animals to look after all year.

And then as time went on, the reindeer just became more and more important.

We just think it's nice to be able to share them with the general public so they can find out how naughty they are as well.

-While the reindeer are the main attraction, the Santa's Forest of Christmas Trees is designed to add an extra touch of festive sparkle to the visit.

-This one's in a knot as always as Christmas trees are.

-With the assistance of seasonal worker Josh... -Go straight to that one right at the end.

-...Clare's festooning the trees with over 30,000 lights, creating a winter wonderland walk on the way to visit the reindeer.

-We have a rather busy day today.

We're doing all these Christmas trees, about a kilometer and a half of lights.

We've got Andrew doing more pathways, and we've got Rich who's busy rolling it flat for us.

So yeah, quite a busy day.

-Do you want it up the tree more?

-If we can get up a bit higher, would be good.

-There's just four days to go before the doors open to paying customers wanting to be wowed by the illuminated Santa's Forest and a chance to meet the reindeer up close.

But halfway through the installation, there's a problem that we've all faced -- a temperamental set of tree lights.

-That's off.

-It's just like an old-fashioned Christmas light.

So one bulb goes and the whole lot goes.

So you just have to find that one bulb.

Or in our case, one set of lights that's tripping everything.

-Lurking somewhere amongst the hundreds of chains of lights is one dodgy set.

But can the gang find it?

-The pressure is definitely on.

-I'm seriously wondering if it's this unit that's at fault.

-Off.

That's off.

-With so many light sets and extension leads, it could be the night before Christmas before they've found the problem.

-Right.

Hang on.

Plug that one back in.

-They try again.

And this time... -On.

-Its on.

-...there's illumination.

-Right.

Oh, that's all good, then.

Let's crack on with some other stuff.

-Meaning Clare and helper Josh can get back to a job most of us only have to battle with once.

-I think overall, it's quite unusual.

I don't expect many people have to decorate Christmas trees 150 times or something.

-Or more.

-Yeah.

-As the sun sinks low, stringing the rest of the lights will have to wait until tomorrow as the real stars of the show are expecting supper.

-Hello, good girls and boys.

-Although some of them are a little impatient.

-Excuse me.

-Okay.

Right.

-Were you sneaking some there?

-With a big few weeks ahead, the gang need to be flying fit for the thousands of visitors booked to see them.

-People say, "What do they do for the rest of the year?"

Muck about, nothing.

-Yeah.

They have fun, don't they?

-Yeah, they have fun.

-We've been madly working, and now these guys just can enjoy the fame and the limelight.

♪♪ -No matter where you're from, Christmas is a time to indulge in delicious treats.

Few places can match the Cotswolds when it comes to fine dining coupled with luxurious accommodation.

It's become the destination if you're looking for five-star retreats or Michelin-star feasts.

Despite its macabre name, Lower Slaughter is a peaceful village nestling in the Cotswold countryside.

At its center, one boutique hotel is serving up a classic British dish with a very Christmasy twist.

-Good afternoon.

Welcome.

Come in.

-Alongside its fine dining, the Slaughters Manor House specialty is afternoon tea.

-Good afternoon.

Welcome.

-But with Christmas approaching, head chef Nick Chappell has been working hard to give it some festive flair.

-We started planning the afternoon tea a few weeks ago, getting ready for the festive season.

Every year we do something.

So the next year is a move on from last year.

We try and make it festive but not too chintzy but nice and fitting with the building.

-Afternoon tea consists of three key elements, starting with... -Sandwiches.

We have egg mayo with truffle, smoked salmon, and turkey, stuffing, and cranberry.

-...second... -Normal scones.

We like to dust the scones for the festive afternoon tea.

It just gives that little snowfall effect.

-...And finally, sweets and fancies, which is where Nick is really going to town.

-This is a chestnut, vanilla, and clove bauble.

This is a little orange curd tartlet with Christmas pudding crumb on the top.

And a cranberry pavlova snowmen.

-These desserts are the most intricate on Nick's sumptuous menu.

-He's cute, isn't he?

He puts a smile on my face.

-And packed full of Christmas spirit.

-We've made a pistachio sponge, which we're then going to fill with a brandy and chocolate buttercream.

It has been drizzled with a little bit of brandy to keep it soft and give it that sort of festive, boozy touch.

Christmas is all about a time of celebrations.

We like to make sure people come here and have a good time and celebrate.

-Weeks of development have finally come together.

-It's been really tough tasting and retasting all these dishes.

I'm getting a bit of a Santa Claus belly.

Out of these desserts, my favorite has to be the snowman.

He's got personality.

-With the finishing touches applied, it's time to see what the diners make of Nick's festive take on this Cotswolds classic.

-Your afternoon tea.

-Ooh, this looks nice, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-Eat his head first.

His head's fallen off.

♪♪ We do our rounds on afternoon tea.

-We're afternoon tea connoisseurs.

-This is lovely.

-Yeah, this is very nice.

-Nick's afternoon teas have gone down a treat.

-Cheers.

-But with another month of serving up this special menu, it's back to piping plenty more of those snowmen.

♪♪ Now, if you're on a tour of the region and fancy walking off the festive treats, there's a place that takes Christmas to a whole new level.

On the Cotswolds' eastern border, one of Britain's grandest stately homes is preparing to be transformed into a festive fairy tale.

♪♪ Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and where he spent many a Christmas, is gearing up for its most glamorous event.

-I love Christmas.

What's not to love?

Most magical time of year.

-Kate Ballenger, the keeper of the Palace collections, is overseeing Blenheim's festive makeover from country house into a Sleeping Beauty storybook.

-Things are getting really hectic in here because the trucks arrived this morning with everything.

You can see all of the trees and the props.

-Kate's job is to work with designers to blend the palace's antique decor into this winter wonderland.

-It's always a challenge because it's about Sleeping Beauty in the palace, so we don't want to cover all of the palace.

-But with each room packed with priceless furniture and ornaments, just one misplaced fir tree... -Oh, watch the chandelier.

-...could cost a fortune.

-Got a bit of a wobble now.

My job is to make sure the palace survives such an install, but also looks beautiful for all of the visitors that come.

It's really important to protect all of the artifacts, the floors, the walls, with this sort of much coming into the building.

-And while some irreplaceable pieces can be moved... -Are you okay backwards?

-Yeah, absolutely.

-...others must be shaped seamlessly into the castle set.

-You'd never know, but underneath there is one of our beautiful 17th-century marble and gilt tables.

But we've got a protective cover underneath, and then they've built the props to just gently slot on top of it.

I don't ever like to reveal values, but it's priceless in that it's a piece of the palace history.

And every time something gets damaged in this context, a little bit of history gets lost.

And we're here to protect it and make sure that it's here for generations to come.

-But sometimes it's the smallest things that cause the most issues.

-Our biggest battle is with glitter.

We remove our sort of historic carpets from the rooms.

It just gets everywhere and we all end up covered in glitter too, which is quite fun.

-When it comes to Christmas, the Palace has been a trendsetter ever since Victorian times, being one of the first homes in Britain to have a Christmas tree.

-In the mid-1800s, the seventh Duke and Duchess followed the fashion of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and brought a Christmas tree to Blenheim.

There wasn't electricity at that time, so obviously it was covered in candles.

So they used to decorate the trees with dried fruit, sugared mice, and all lovely little treats.

I do often wonder what they would think of what we do now.

-It's not just the interiors that would leave dukes and duchesses astounded.

Outside, the formal gardens designed by Capability Brown are also given a mind-blowing makeover.

Every year, the acres of formal gardens dazzle thousands of visitors with a spectacular light trail.

Events manager Natalie Cox is checking in with the teams assembling this year's illuminated extravaganza, a mile and a half long walk made up of more than a million individual lights.

-This is the really exciting part.

All of our plans, all of everybody's hard work, we're now watching it all arrive and ready to see it go out and about on the trail.

-Natalie's first stop is to check in with lighting supervisor John Sims, whose team are knee deep in the cold pools of the water terraces.

-How are we looking?

-Wet.

-Wet and cold.

-Yeah, it's quite cold.

You can feel the water, if you like.

-I think I'll leave that.

-It's getting there.

We're rigging these rainbow trees.

This is the first one that they're doing.

They don't usually go in ponds, so there's a little bit of jiggery pokery to figure out exactly how it's going to happen.

I'm sure it'll all be fine.

-With over 800 individual light fixtures to finish in under a week, the lighting teams are starting to feel the heat.

-You're just about to open up and thousands of people are going to come and walk around and you have to be ready.

You can't delay the opening because thousands of people have got their tickets.

So it just is a natural progression of stress levels rising and just adrenaline starting to pump through.

-From the depths of the palace's water terraces to the tops of its trees, the sparkling light show is expected to dazzle over 300,000 people in the run-up to Christmas.

Last on Natalie and John's checklist is the star of the show.

-I am really excited to see this.

-Yeah, it's a 30-metre-long tunnel with 750 individually controlled stars that everyone walks through and under.

So I think this is going to be one of the highlights.

-But with miles of light still to install, will John get it done in time?

-We've got less than a week to go.

-Yeah, there's some late nights to come, but the whole team will pull together and it'll all be good by next Thursday.

-Delivering the magic of Christmas.

-We try our best.

♪♪ -Coming up, opening weekend fast approaches at the reindeer herd.

But has Clare got everything wrapped up?

-99.9%.

I'm sure there's something will turn up that we will find isn't quite ready.

-And the big day has finally come for the team at Blenheim Palace.

-Very exciting.

Though the wind's quite cold.

-In the small village of Ampney Crucis near Cirencester, the most Christmasy of creatures are preparing to be center stage.

-Busy and exciting, and these guys are all looking forward to their treats.

-Today, the 21-strong herd of reindeer will welcome their first guests of the festive season, creating a little piece of Lapland in the Cotswolds and bringing magic to children and adults alike.

But while the reindeer are feeling relaxed for owner Clare Ward... -Good girl.

-...there are a hectic few hours ahead.

-99.9%.

I'm sure there's something will turn up that we will find isn't quite ready.

Just got to set up the shop.

I've just got to get them settled in and then we're off.

-Clare's most crucial task ahead of opening the doors is ensuring the reindeer's favorite food is prepared.

Lichen.

-This is the reindeer treats.

This is what everybody gets a pot of to feed them.

They can always buy more.

But the reindeer absolutely love it.

We bring it in from Finland.

This is what grows in real forests and this is what they naturally eat at this time of year.

They love it.

It smells quite nice too.

-As well as getting to feed the reindeer, some visitors also choose to meet the main man himself.

-A quick shake out.

-And it's down to Mrs.

C to ensure he looks the part.

-Looks very nice.

Do you think you've lost a little bit of weight?

-Soon put that back on with the mince pies.

-Grotto ready, and the first guests of the day arrive.

-There you go.

You hold that.

-Fully loaded with treats, 4-year-old Vic and dad Les can spread some festive cheer to the hungry herd.

-Who's the greediest reindeer, do you think?

There you go.

Give it to them.

-Hi.

-As more families arrive, soon all the gang are getting their fill of delicious lichen.

♪♪ -Look at that one.

-With reindeer Mischief and Sattu on hand to help him, Santa welcomes his first guest.

-Victor.

How are you?

-I believe you're looking for a main present of Lego.

Is that right?

-All armed with their Christmas lists, there's a steady stream of excited children to see Santa.

-Are you sure your hat is magic?

-But there's no doubt the highlight is meeting the reindeer.

-Come on, you haven't got fed yet.

-And come closing.

It's time to unwind.

And reflect on a successful opening weekend.

-I'm relieved, but very happy that it all seems to be rolling on really nicely.

Rather tired, but it's so nice to see the lovely little faces.

Just makes it so worthwhile.

Christmas has definitely arrived in the Cotswolds.

♪♪ -Every year, almost 8 million real Christmas trees are sold in the UK before being taken home and given some festive sparkle.

This tradition can be traced back to Queen Victoria's husband Albert, who is credited with starting the craze in 1840.

But the tree is not the only green Christmas custom we imported from Germany back then.

In the beautiful town of Burford, known as the gateway to the Cotswolds, one shop is flat out preparing decorative festive foliage.

-I do love Christmas.

It's very hard work.

We're on our feet lots of hours, lots of days on the trot.

But we do love it.

-And while seasonal bouquets are popular... -They look beautiful.

-All ready -Absolutely gorgeous.

-There you go.

-...it's advent wreaths that are in high demand, and florist Emma Hockey and her team will hand-make around 50 in the run-up to Christmas.

-It's one of our busiest parts of the year, so we've got lots of orders ready for later on this week and next week.

So trying to get ahead of ourselves.

-Using sustainably grown greenery, each £75 wreath is like taking home a little piece of the Cotswolds countryside.

-We're really lucky where we live that we've got some friends with a woodland, so they let us forage.

That helps us out and we're trying to save the planet at the same time.

♪♪ -It would seem at this time of year that no Cotswold front door would be complete without a wonderful wreath.

-There's some lovely houses, actually, and a lot of them are quite hidden as well.

I think the wreaths sit well with the design of the houses and the stone.

-But it's not just the houses that go all out at Christmas.

Burford's high street is given an annual festive makeover and Emma has ambitious plans for her shop front.

-So let me just quickly show you the design for the front of the shop for this Christmas.

Lovely big archway full of lovely seasonal foliage.

Two of our wreaths hanging on the doors.

Lots of fairy lights.

-Time to get Christmas cracking.

-Evie, don't forget your hat.

-Tasked with creating the eight-foot-high floral archway are Evie and Jade.

-All right, so one do the top one, one do the side.

-Sounds like a plan.

♪♪ -Christmas is definitely my favorite time of year.

Like 100%.

-There's that green stuff over there.

I think it's yew.

That'll be quite good.

♪♪ -We like to put some red in there.

It makes the garland stand out more and it just makes it more Christmasy.

It makes me want to put my Christmas tree up at home and start wrapping Christmas presents.

It'd be better if it was snowing though.

That would be the full Christmas feel.

-And after a few hours of pruning and placing... -It looks good.

Yeah, it looks really nice.

-...the giant garland is ready.

Time to see what Emma, the boss, makes of it.

-Oh!

It looks lovely.

Thank you.

Allie, come and have a look.

-Oh, wow.

That's amazing.

-Well done, girls.

So proud of you.

-From small shops to stately homes, nowhere would look right without festive decorations at this time of year.

And back at Blenheim Palace, it's the grand opening night for its Christmas extravaganza.

From the great hall to the formal gardens, it's now a race to get everything finished for when the visitors arrive in just a few hours time.

Overseeing the palace's transformation into a Sleeping Beauty storybook is Kate Ballenger.

-Oh, wow.

Every time you come in, this room looks just more amazing.

It's so beautiful.

-It's taken Kate and her team just three days and, ironically, sleepless nights to transform the palace into this extraordinary fairy tale set.

-There's always a little bit of nerves before we open such an amazing display that everyone has put so much time and energy into, but it's such a beautiful thing.

I think everyone's going to love it.

-But with visitors about to arrive, there are still some last-minute jobs to tackle.

-We've still got quite a bit of glitter around, and even though it's new carpet, it still needs a good hoover.

Part of my job is maintaining the palace and the collection, and dust and dirt is a big enemy of the collection.

I find it quite therapeutic, actually.

Even on a normal day, it's lovely to let people in, but this is one of our special times of the year, obviously.

And the palace is transformed for Christmas, so it's so lovely to let everyone in and see everything that we've done.

-Time to open the doors.

And given Blenheim is one of England's largest stately homes, there's an enormous key to match.

-Very exciting.

Though the wind's quite cold.

-More than 300,000 people are expected to fall under Sleeping Beauty's spell at Blenheim this year.

Regular visitors to the palace's seasonal spectacular are Lucy and Mark Sutton and their son Luke.

-We've been here for about, oh, three, four, five years in a row.

-Yeah, just sort of sets us up with the Christmas spirit, really.

-Best Christmas ever.

-We always have good Christmases, don't we, as a family?

Yeah.

-Stepping into the main entrance hall, you can't help but be impressed.

-Look at that.

It's huge.

-Wow.

-It's amazing.

That would take a long time to decorate.

-Oh, look, there's moving flowers.

-Oh, wow.

-They look real.

-Yeah, they do look real.

How many decorations they can pack onto one tree, isn't it?

-I know.

-It puts our tree to shame, I think, at home.

Look.

There she is.

There she is.

Look in the bed.

-Can you wake her up?

-No.

-[ Laughs ] -As the Suttons continue their journey through the house, outside, the fantastic Christmas light trail is in full effect.

For events manager Natalie, this glowing mile and a half long walk is the culmination of months of preparation and perspiration.

-Absolutely stunning.

We've been working on this project all year and watching the plans come together and all the hard work, and it just makes it all worth it seeing the smiles on our guests' faces when they come through that gate.

-From colorful cascades and the tunnels bursting with a thousand and more lights, which, luckily for Natalie, are working a treat, it's an enchanting experience.

-It's all so magical.

And every person that's been working on this project inside the palace, outside on the trail, has just done such a wonderful job in just making it perfect.

-That's amazing.

-That's pretty, isn't it?

Look at all those rainbow colors.

-Yeah.

-And it seems the Sutton family agree.

-I'm starting to feel quite Christmasy.

Perhaps we should put our tree up when we get home.

-Sounds good to me.

I've had a lovely time.

Have you had a lovely time, Luke?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, it's been amazing.

-Merry Christmas.

-Say merry Christmas to Father Christmas.

Merry Christmas, Father Christmas.

-Happy new year!

♪♪ ♪♪ -Coming up... -It's going to be down to zero tonight.

-In Broadway, it's a race to get everything finished on time for Anona.

-This is when I turn it on and nothing happens.

-And Sheila's dressed for the occasion in her chocolate shop.

-I don't usually mix elf with Santa, but you know how it is.

-All across the Cotswolds, people are decking the halls of their stunning sandstone homes.

But when night draws in, that's when things really come to life.

No more so than in Broadway, where everything is becoming a little more, well, sparkly.

-Very Christmasy.

And it's starting to feel it now, isn't it?

The lights are on.

There are people coming out.

It's going to be down to zero tonight.

-Organizer in chief Anona is still spinning lots of different plates, ready for the village's Christmas kickoff.

-Right then.

Ready?

There we go.

Thank you.

-The concert band will soon be here.

And if they're to see what they're playing tonight, Anona needs to work fast to light up the makeshift bandstand.

-Take the rest back and I'll go and plug it in.

-With a bit of help from friends in high places... -Right then.

This is when I turn it on and nothing happens.

Yay!

-Well done, Anona.

The night is young, but already Christmas shoppers from near and far are arriving in their droves.

-Just doing a last check.

really.

Just checking that everybody is kind of ready and in position and I am gasping for a coffee.

-Broadway's been on the map for a thousand years, and countless people have stopped on this high street for a Christmas tipple over the centuries.

-Black Americano would be amazing.

Although that Irish cream latte sounds amazing and I'll have one of those later.

Scarily, we're currently feeling as though things are okay.

We still have our reindeer to arrive and everything can go wrong with reindeer, and we have our band to arrive.

So a few things, but at the moment, maybe we're at the calm before the storm.

-Of course, a village fete wouldn't be complete without a local bobby or two.

-We've got our policemen as well coming through.

Hello, there.

-Hi.

-Yeah, nice to see you.

-And Anona spots an opportunity to lighten her load.

-We've got our reindeer arriving.

Could I ask for your help?

-Yeah, no problem.

-If we can stop the traffic, then that means I don't need to be stopping the traffic.

-Definitely.

-Amazing.

-Not an issue.

-The community here is just amazing.

They are incredible.

And generally if you ask for some help, people are only too willing.

They are what pulls all of this together.

They are why this works.

-So this one is Doris.

This is the mother of Storm.

-Okay.

-And that big one over there, that's Kevin.

-Kevin.

Oh, I love that.

We've got cold, we've got lights, we've got reindeer, and we've got lots of people coming to enjoy them.

Perfect.

All we need now is a Christmas band.

-The high street is quickly filling up.

The Christmas lights have brought the village to life.

Sausages are sizzling, mulled wine is flowing, and shop doors flung open into the night, ready to welcome visitors with their faces all aglow.

-The Cotswold stone is lit up by all the fairy lights, and that's got this gorgeous sort of fairy tale magical feel.

-With all the pieces finally in place, head organizer Anona can stand back and appreciate the night.

-It's just the most gorgeous way to pull the community together.

So absolutely, it's the beginning of Christmas for us.

-And the icing on the cake is just warming up.

♪♪ -Can you see me all right from there?

Okay, I'll stand back a bit, I think.

Probably easiest.

Dodging around a pole.

-Peter and the band are ready to fill the night air with the sound of traditional Christmas.

♪♪ ♪♪ -We've been playing at Broadway for at least nine years.

Instrumental music, particularly wind music, is an integral part of Christmas as we enjoy it here.

♪♪ We are here actually to enjoy playing together.

It's something very special.

-Just up the road in Sheila's chocolate shop, an endless stream of customers is wandering in for some Christmas confectionery.

-Have you just arrived?

-Yes.

-Oh, brilliant.

You'll have a lovely time.

Thank you very much indeed.

-Not one to miss an opportunity, Sheila's gone all out on tonight's uniform.

-I don't usually mix elf with Santa, but you know what?

You know how it is.

It's got to be done.

Thank you very much.

Yeah.

You can, of course.

That's £2.70, then, please.

Old-fashioned sweets.

Old-fashioned chocolates.

People come here for the nostalgia of what it was like when they used to come in when they were children.

100 grams is three pieces.

Is that going to be enough for you?

-It's just like the starter.

-Is it your starter?

All right.

You've got mulled wine to go on top of this, have you?

Oh, well done.

And they'll still ask for a quarter of sweets or a quarter of chocolates.

In spite of the fact that we've been decimal for a while.

-For Sheila and the other shopkeepers of Broadway, life is sweet.

-Oh, yeah.

Very Christmasy.

We're feeling Christmasy.

Oh, she's too busy.

-The first festive event of the season is a roaring success.

And for Peter, Sheila, and Anona, the community spirit is keeping them all very warm on a winter's night.

-You get a real buzz when you're playing instruments together and forming part of an overall beautiful sound.

You feel a great deal of emotion.

There's nothing like it.

♪♪ -Broadway is so fabulous at Christmastime.

The spirit of everybody in the shops is so, so magical.

♪♪ -It's been a really lovely night in Broadway tonight, and there are so many people here having such a lovely time.

Broadway is the most perfect place to spend, well, all year round, but it really comes to life, it's just magical for Christmas.

♪♪ ♪♪ -A beautiful ancient village, alive with the buzz of thousands of merry visitors.

It's hard to think of a better place to spend Christmas than the Cotswolds.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪