HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM ALL OF US AT THE MANOR!
🏡 Welcome to Mapperton: England’s Finest Manor House!
Join Luke and Julie, Viscount and Viscountess Hinchingbrooke, for an unforgettable experience at Mapperton, one of England’s most breathtaking estates. Our exclusive 5-night retreats blend history and luxury for a truly enchanting stay. Discover more about our tours and retreats: https://www.grandhistorictours.com
Exciting news! The Mapperton newsletter has been re-launched, and we’d love for you to join us. Stay up-to-date with all the happenings in and around the Estate, enjoy behind-the-scenes updates, and discover fun anecdotes from Mapperton’s rich history. Be even more a part of the Mapperton community—sign up for our newsletter today! Click the link here to join us! https://julie-montagu-ltd.kit.com/33bbd55f57
🇺🇸 We are heading to America! And we’d LOVE to see you. Details of our tour here: https://wilcoxhistoricalsociety.org
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If the allure of American heiresses marrying into British aristocracy intrigues you, join Julie on @thegildedheiresses where fortunes and titles intertwine. And for fellow Castle enthusiasts, explore @CastlesandTiaras where you can find reruns of Julie’s feature length historic house films and compilations!
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Quackers, our beloved Indian Runner Duck, touched hearts everywhere. After a tragic incident, we’re raising funds to create a memorial pond at Mapperton. Your support helps establish a wetland sanctuary in her memory, benefitting ducks and wildlife for years to come. Donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/quackersmemorial
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Explore our new Mapperton shop for exclusive merchandise. From beanies to hoodies, find something special and use promo code EARLYBIRD for 10% OFF! Shop here: https://www.mapperton.online
🎩 The Gilded Age American Heiress Collection
Experience the exclusive “American Heiress” collection curated by Julie, the American Viscountess. With over 10,000 letters from 1888 to 1951, this collection is the largest private correspondence archive of its kind, offering unique insights into the life of a Gilded Age heiress. Now available for virtual tours through BuyMeACoffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/juliejmontagu
🏛️ Visit Mapperton Virtually!
Explore Mapperton’s beauty from anywhere in the world with our immersive 360° virtual tour featuring stunning visuals and ambient sounds. Start your virtual journey: https://buymeacoffee.com/mapperton
🌍 Explore More with Us!
Follow our sister channels: @AmericanViscountess @julieinitaly @TheGildedHeiresses
📚 Julie’s Best-Selling Books on Health and Wellbeing
Discover Julie’s celebrated books:
– Superfoods Superfast: https://www.amazon.com/Superfoods-Superfast-Energizing-Recipes-Minutes/dp/1849497869
– Superfoods, The Flexible Approach: https://www.amazon.com/Superfoods-Flexible-Approach-Eating-More/dp/1849496668
– Eat Real Foods: https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Real-Food-Happiness-Unstoppable-ebook/dp/B017DOB1EO
– Recharge: https://www.amazon.com/Recharge-Year-Self-Care-Focus-You/dp/0349418144
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We look forward to welcoming you to Mapperton soon! 🤗
Warm regards,
Luke & Julie
Viscount and Viscountess Hinchingbrooke 👑👑
49 Comments
Yall are so real. I love this. "its itchy…" laughing out loud here in Chesapeake VA
Merry Christmas from a log cabin in the Catskill Mountains of NY State! 🌲❤️🌲I love your videos, and yes, Julie won, it’s showing on Christmas Day. 🥰
I have just found you and I think you are both such lovely people. You have made me laugh already. Blessings from Rock in Cornwall.
Growing up Santa did the stockings and unwrapped presents while mom and dad did the wrapped presents under the tree.
Oh my another crooked lampshade…….Merry Christmas everyone!
Only 3 minutes in and I’m already wildly entertained!!! love you both so much💞 Happy Christmas! 🎄 Merry Christmas!🎄
Bloody hell man use fire lighters😊
Blessed Christmas to u all and a Happy New Year!🎉
🥱🥱🥱😩😩😩too much dialogue…Happy Christmas
'You have turkey for Thanksgiving'
Love being referred to as a United Stater.
Elegant
Merry Christmas from Seattle. The logs are stacked too close together. Dryer lint is a great fire starter.
Happy Xmas! Try the upside method to light the fireplace it works and it produces less smoke
You two are such fun! Happy and Merry Christmas to you and yours-here’s to 2025! 🎉❤
😉
Tried on 3 different devices (turned volume to the max) and a couple of earphones …. you need to increase your audio. The commercials are way louder than your actual content. Thank you!
American here. We have Christmas crackers at our family’s Christmas Eve dinner.
Merry Christmas! Since it is December 26 (Boxing Day) here, I will wish you Happy New Year as well.
In Canada Santa Claus leaves the gifts with the stocking. The family gifts are placed under a tree. We used to cut down our own tree on a farm and then put it up. The problem with that is the branches fall a bit within a day. And there is also an issue of misjudging height of the room. So often we had to cut the base of the tree so the angel would fit on top. One year the tree was so wide once the branches descended it took up half the living room. We were able to lie under the tree once the lights and decorations were one the tree. The gifts would later be placed under the tree (maybe 100 packages total).
Perfect recipe, I will make this over this weekend. Thank you.
I have an idea to pass on to you. The reason you are having so much trouble with your preparation for Christmas is that you are not supposed to be doing the labor. You are supposed to be paying the hired help to do this work. They have run through the house when you're not around, sabotaging everything, to force you to hire them. We have the same problem over here.
LOL, the stockings match your top.
Hi Julie and Luke. I’m an American and Santa only brought the contents of our stockings and one big present very to the stocking. And we had Christmas pudding with coins in it.
Happy Christmas, Luke & Julie! 🎄⭐🎄 I will be passing on the bread sauce, as cloves are not a favorite of mine. Cloves of garlic, however, are another story, and perhaps a modification of Luke's recipe I might consider trying!
My satsuma orange really did well…..at least 2 dozen, but my meyer lemon 🍋 did nothing ❤❤❤❤both!!!
🇳🇿✨Happy Christmas, lovelies, from New Zealand.
Luke, we always had pillow slips which we found on armchairs & couches etc on Christmas morning. I can still remember the excitement, because I'm from a family of 9 children, & we didn't really have a lot of treats. We always got our shoes, sandals, a dress, shorts or a shirt each that my mum made, underwear etc (that she also made-ugh!), because we were growing so fast. We got books, paint boxes, puzzles, school stationery, colouring-in books, the little plastic 'pop' beads (you could add beads to your strand each year because they popped into each other), some clear nail polish if we were considered old enough, or rouge if we were over 15. Sometimes we'd get a picture for our room, or a beach towel or new swimsuits if we'd outgrown our old ones. It was so much fun!
Because chicken was for special occasions back then, we'd enjoy a roast chicken meal with stuffing & crispy roast potatoes & green vegetables (our dad thought salads weren't festive enough). After that we were sent outside (usually wearing our new swimsuits) to eat
Ice-cream slices, a New Zealand favourite (two plain wafers with a slice of vanilla ice-cream in between), then we'd all play bull rush or some party games & the sprinkler would go on. That provided fun, a clean-up for sticky, icecream speckled children, & a well earned 'break' for our poor mum who normally had a toddler or a new baby to run around after. It was a time when we knew a treat was a treat, because sweets were special occasion things as well. So much more special when it's not an everyday event ✨🇳🇿
Merry Blessed Christmas to you ♥️🎄
You made me chuckle with this video. Living in a beautiful palatial home, but going through all the mundane last minute stuff just like any family down the street. Luke and his fussing with the fire was so funny. . Luke is a treasure. ❤️
Happy Christmas to you all 🙂
We had Pillow cases in New Zealand for our Santa Presents.
Kings speech!
My parents always had breakfast for Christmas dinner as we were growing up in Canada. We also have had plum pudding with a custard sauce every year until now. I'm in Canada but Mom's parents came from England. Merry Christmas!
Loved your carol service last year. So neat you'll be vlogging it again. Thank you for sharing a small part of your lovely Christmas with us!
Stockings are a lifelong tradition! Every year we have stockings….and we're much more seasoned than 18! As a Canadian with deep Yorkshire and Brittany roots, traditions are history….a continuation of yore….to be upheld forever. Similar thought process with Christmas Crackers…great fun tradition! !Yes to more "Cooking with Luke"! Salut du Canada 🫶🇨🇦
Only named 3 of the 4 children…
Nice 1550 AD/ CE
We always put an orange in the toe of our Christmas Stockings. But, our stockings are hanging over the mantel. My husband who is from England, remembers his being placed at the foot of his bed.
I agree with Luke, I am American and we are definitely into hyper consumerism. I am hoping we are getting a bit away from that. Many children today, have nothing to dream for, they want something, and they are instantly given it. I’m not sure that is healthy.
I like turkey for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
As a child here in Australia I didn't have a stocking but a pillowcase that was left at the foot of my bed and Father Christmas filled it to overflowing during the night, none of the gifts in it were gift wrapped then I would get separate presents from my Mum and Dad on Christmas morning. We also have turkey, chicken, prawns and ham for Christmas lunch followed by plum pudding with custard, cream and ice cream and pavlova for those who aren't into pudding. We don't celebrate Thanksgiving at all. Hope you and your family had a very Merry Christmas xxx
I live in Canada and growing up we always wrapped our stocking stuffers, even if they were small silly presents. sometimes multiple layers…for just a popsicle stick. Its more about the fun of unwrapping together
It’s interesting how we all have varying traditions. Our American family has stockings filled with little items individually wrapped in beautiful paper and ribbons and mini bows from Santa as well as nuts, some candy and an orange for the children. The adults have wrapped gifts with beautiful ribbons and bows in their stockings from each other. We also have gifts from Santa Claus placed in front of the tree that are unwrapped of course. Any wrapped gifts around the tree are from family and friends.
It is funny you mention British dry humor. My Grandfather’s family is Danish and they have the driest humor in our family. My Grandmother and other Grandparents whose families are British are often offended by his humor because they don’t understand he is simply teasing or intending to be funny. My Great-grandfather (Danish) asked my Grandmother (British) the first time they met if she was too poor to afford regular shoes. She was wearing sandals which were her nicest pair of shoes for the summer. She was embarrassed and mortified of course. He was simply trying to “break the ice” if you will. 😂
Has Luke never heard the night before Christmas??? I have it memorized because my kids love that one.
I do turkey for both but prime rib on Christmas too.
Merry Christmas 🎄 & Happy New Year 🎆 from ⭐️Texas
I must make a Cumberland sauce for my next ham.
This is relatable to any family with different nationalities. Being Irish American and Swedish, our Christmas was alway a mix of these things.
I always thought the US thing of stockings by the mantle must be problematic for all the kids who don't have a firplace at home. Every child has a bed, it's more democratic.
In Sweden we made our own Christmas crackers back in the day. You bought the little cracking strings in a box and we used a toilet paper tube to fill and decorate. But the Swedish tradition is they're hung in the tree, together with cones of sweets and gingerbread ornaments and regular baubles, bc there used to be an official end of Christmas celebration (20th day after Christmas eve) when the tree is undressed and carried out with song, and the kids raid the tree of goodies. This tradition was alive when my mum was small, but is since forgotten which is a pity I think. Swedes are v e r y quick to let go of traditions for anything new they see on tiktok. Christmas Pudding is the best! So many great ones you can send for ready made well in advance as is necessary for depth of flavor. Even from abroad, much like Panetone. I get mine these days at a British specialty store. This year I got an extra large Ikea ladle to warm the brandy in and light it before pouring onto the pudding and it was truly glorious! (great buy). My 4yo grandson was beside himself with exitement!
It really is the most moreish dessert with a big dollop of brandy butter (and it's not as boozy as people who havent had it think, kids love it).
We do gelato or semifreddo as well for that contrast with the warm dessert and bc after all our time in Italy we all just love the stuff.
We do real candles in the real tree as well. These days the candles will burn for a good 20 minutes and we listen to the old tenor Jussi Björling sing Oh Holy Night and other Christmas songs and turn off the electric lights and watch the still lights burn on Christmas Eve. The gifts have rhymes on them, that allude to the contents without revealing them! So packing gifts is full of composing verse!
We don't have coins in the pudding, but an almond in our Swedish rice porrige-round grain rice boiled in milk like risotto, served with sugar and cinnamon. If you get the almond you win a marsipan and chocolate pig! These are old Nordic traditions.
Lots of foods are too, it's a mix of herring, salmon and then turkey, ham, ribs. But we've changed it up alot. I made a fully middle eastern meal one year, with all sorts of typical foods from the greater region of old Palestine with all the spices and some of the Jewish traditions from Channukah included. I'm a big fan of Lebanese, Syrian, Israeli and North African foods (so much is vegetarian and just scrumptous) so that was one of my favorites actually. And all the spices, dates, fruits etc are there, just as they are where they originate, not dried and put into cakes as they were in Europe bc they were worth their weight in gold back in the day. It's truly a modern luxury to be able to eat all these things fresh and in abundance, and really cook with them.
These days Christmas is simpler, but things like the festive desserts are truly a must!
Oh and a good cheeseboard too!
Really strong and salty Roquefort, cave matured Gruyère, a good creamy goats cheese and sheepmilk brie at least, and figue et noix confit mixed with some balsamic vinager and port. I always look forward to that and the leftover cheese makes for great nibbles for days!
We have goats in Sweden. It used to be the Christmas goat came with a little sled pulled with gifts in the snow on Christmas eve. Not a scary German "Krampus", but a local geezer was hired to do the neighborhood rounds in a sheepskin coat and mask with horns, and given a Schnapps and some goodies at each place. So he was a bit naughty, rambunctuous perhaps (being a goat) ie not just jolly and sweet. In my grandmothers day. We still have lots of goats for decor. And gnomes, rather than just Santa, and "elves" which are really gnome children.
Everywhere out in the countryside people still leave a bowl of rice porrige and a gingerbread cookie on the porch or in the barn for the farm or house gnome. He's a little fella, maybe two hands high at most, with the felt hat and white beard, often dressed in grey wool, who keeps an eye out for the animals, the hay and straw storage, the woodland creatures and land, and is hundreds of years old and wize and very illusive. If you disrespect nature, animals, work them too hard, dont feed them enough, or are cruel to your kids, the Tomte (gnome) could make life very difficult for you.
He's the warden of the natural world, with some magical abilities, and you wouldn't want to cross him. He's the kind of figure my old Irish aunt Catherine would have believed in. She had no problem combining her Catholic faith with Leprechauns, banshees and "little people"…
The mix up between St. Nick (or rather the Anglosaxon version of this saint who was really a nobleman who became famous for his charity towards prostitutes and women with children out of wedlock) and the Tomte is interesting and ongoing.
I'm fond of the billy goat too, I love goats! 😁
It used to be every household left a bushel of grains, on the sheath, oats, rye, whatever, tied on a pole for the birds over Christmas. That's also become rarer these days unfortunately. The tree people would sell them. I don't see them anymore. 😔
Plastic trees weren't ever a thing until the last 15 years really. We're covered in forest, it's our main national industry, it never made sense here, and we're supposed to avoid plastics, so I'm dissapointed in all the plastic greenery imported only thanks to US media really. It's understandable in the US, but complete nonsense here.
The tree is everything! Love the scent…
Europe is so full of different traditions , have you ever heard the Dutch explain theirs? Their "Sinterclause" comes from Spain and not for Christmas at all!
Then again they put sprinkles (hundreds and thousands) on buttered toast and call in Sandwich! I wonder what the First Earl would think of THAT!? 😂
Happy 2024 send-off, and best wishes for the new year at Mapperton guys!
Hope you get some rest afterwards Julie 😉♥️
My family was very big on stockings because we had to get up and get dressed and have breakfast before presents so the stockings had to get us through a couple hours.
I'd never heard of Eggnog til I lived in NY, but it actually originates in the UK… we should drink it more here!
Yes, we do have Christmas Crackers in the US. Santa does the stockings (my children are 32, 29, and 25 and we have no plans for stopping those) that are filled to the rim with unwrapped items and they need to be placed in front of the fireplace because of their size. Santa usually only brings one gift under the tree/left by the stockings while the rest of the gifts are wrapped from Mom and Dad, siblings and other relatives.
A splendid episode!!!! I love your natural talk back and forth!!!! Happy Christmas! 🎄 I loved how natural you both are, especially, when you forgot what the tree skirt was called, and Luke was concerned about the fire! ❤ Your shows always make me smile! Love and hugs to you both! 🎄