Christmas Has Landed at the National Space Centre
- 29th Nov 2023
- Author: Elliott Langley - Marketing Administrator
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![Dave from our Maintenance team installs the outdoor lights]()
Dave from our Maintenance team installs the outdoor lights The Christmas spirit has officially arrived here at the National Space Centre! No, that doesn’t mean we have hung tinsel around our rockets Thor Able and Blue Streak – as much as we would love to, I have a feeling our Curator might have something to say about that.
Instead, as we roll into December, our trio of rocket-shaped Christmas tree lights have landed, transforming the space next to our Shop into a cosy winter wonderland. Meanwhile outside, the ramp down to our main entrance has been adorned with our Christmas lights just in time for our Christmas parties.
If you visit between now and the New Year then you’ll also be able to see our Christmas lights when you are in our galleries... just look up!
If you’ve ever visited us during the festive period in previous years then you may have noticed our Christmas trees hanging in the entrance hall. Built by our own Maintenance team, each rocket tree is lit up with inbuilt Christmas lights and blows cold air out of the bottom to create the "blast off" effect.
Nikki from our Maintenance team explained to me how they install the rocket trees: "We have to take into consideration the weight restrictions when we secure the rockets to the ceiling, we definitely don't want them to fall on anyone! We test the electronics inside each tree before we install them to make sure they're safe. And then we stand back and admire them."
Our Shop has also gone through its annual transformation, becoming home to our Christmas tree. Whilst not quite as tall as the actual rockets on display, it’s still far more impressive than the one I’ve got at home and is guaranteed to instil even the smallest hint of yuletide spirit in the most steadfast of Scrooges.
Our Front of House Manager, Becky, completed the most sacred of rituals and gave the Christmas tree it's annual makeover this week -- see it for yourself when you visit our Shop!
Elsewhere, our Boosters café have gone all out and created a festive drink to mark the season. If you visit us during the festive period then you’ll be able to indulge in a festive toffee nut mocha whilst sitting in our Soyuz Lounge and admiring the Christmas rockets. “I wanted to bring some festive joy to our visitors,” said Lee, our Coffee Shop Manager; “maybe we should change #SpaceForEveryone to #FestiveCheerForEveryone?”
The limited-edition hot drink can be made with oat and soya milk for any of our non-dairy coffee lovers or can be upgraded with whipped cream and marshmallows for absolute Christmas decadence.
For our youngest astronauts, who probably aren’t so interested in caffeinated beverages, we have our Small Space Mrs Santa Special! Each year our Education team curate a day for toddlers to take over the National Space Centre and get Christmassy with Mrs Santa, who came all the way from the North Pole by way of space shuttle. “The whole team love the December Small Space Day; in fact, it's our favourite date in the calendar,” says Charlie, our Head of Education. “We get the chance to do all the fun science stuff, with a Christmassy twist. The best part of the day is seeing all the happy children after they meet Mrs Claus or take part in the elves sing along science show. It's really magical!”
And if you’re anything like me and you haven’t bought a single Christmas present yet, our Shop is full of great gifts for people who want to add a bit more space to their lives. Our Shop team have a great list of budget-friendly gifts and also added a couple of bonus ideas for the Christmas period: “We have some space-themed Christmas decorations and baubles in the Shop at the moment, which have been really popular,” says Kerri. “We also have a rocket-shaped stocking as well”. “If in doubt, astronaut costumes are always popular with the children,” adds Becky. “They’re always a safe bet.”
While the schools are off and everyone’s recovering from their Christmas dinners, we’ll be open between 27 – 31 December where our Space Crew team will be in their Christmas jumpers (and maybe a few extras) to keep the festive feelings going just a bit longer. "It's a banging time of the year," Mollie from Space Crew says, and who can argue with that?
And whilst I can't make any guarantees, you might even hear the odd Christmas song being played throughout the Centre.
Yes, that's right; even space doesn’t provide an escape from Wham! sadly.
