A Visit to Hampton Court Palace

With our family pass good for one year to the Historic Royal Palaces, we decided to check out Christmas at Hampton Court Palace.  This was Henry VIII's favorite palace and to celebrate the holiday, the palace was decorated as it might have been for the first Christmas that he spent there with his third wife, Jane Seymour.  To help us really appreciate it more, there were costumed interpreters throughout engaging us in conversation.  Lord Thomas Howard was there helping me convince Jacob to join the King's army.  Jacob didn't seem very interested.  He also doesn't think I'm serious when I tell him he better get into an Academy if he wants to go to college!  There were some frantic ladies who heard the king was returning early from his morning hunt and we all had to get outside to welcome the king.  Oh, we did! 

In front of the Palace

They have some decorations throughout.

Thomas Howard in a Privy Council meeting just after trying to recruit Jacob

Loved this Hall!

We all kneeled for the King!

After welcoming the king back to the palace we were in just the right spot to catch the jester's show in the courtyard.  He told us of how he had only just been hired for the holiday season to come to court.  He was then overwhelmed to look across the crowd of people and notice his long lost uncle in the courtyard!  He asked us to part for his uncle to run to him and show him how much he was missed!  When we turned around the kids and I were particularly amused to see his "uncle" coming through the crowd!

They then skipped through the crowds to find their way to the "king" to show him their special trick.  Steve was so good at keeping in character. 

After doing the handstand, the Jester had to properly "thank" his uncle with a HUGE KISS!  Katie was taking pictures here because the kids were all near the front of the group and she would get a better shot, but she was in such SHOCK at the sight that she didn't think to take a picture of it!  I am certain that Steve is grateful for that!  Dag nab it...that picture would have been perfect right here in a blog on the internet!

Thoroughly amused for the afternoon, we got a quick bite at a cafe in the gardens and took a walk through the hedge maze and around the grounds.  Although overcast, the weather was fairly warm for the time of year and we were happy to spend the day at the palace.

Really...flowers in bloom on 27 December!

Can we find our way through the maze?!

The kids "Tebowing" as they had managed to get to the center of the maze!