Christmas THINGS TO DO THIS

I can fully declare the “season to be merry” now open with only 40 more sleeps to the big day, which tend to disappear like magic at this time of year.

Bookings for panto season are already under way (oh yes they are etc) but with the average price of a theatre ticket pushing £40, the National Gallery in London is offering a good-value alternative to readers in the South, or those visiting the capital for a break.

In a first for the art gallery, its Picture Perfect Christmas show will be staging a special Christmas adventure with characters stepping out of Hendrick Avercamp’s iconic

17th-century oil painting, A Winter Scene with Skaters near a Castle, in a 60-minute show for all the family.

Little ones especially will love the story that follows two children, Frederick and Maaike, on their journey through the woodlands, meeting magical creatures, wandering through frosted landscapes and skating on glistening ice rinks.

Expect lots of songs, dancing and Christmas cheer to a backdrop of an icy Netherlands in the 1600s.

Plus you can visit the gallery for free before or after the show, which runs from November 26 to December 23.

Tickets cost £15 from nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/ picture-perfect-christmas

PICTURE THAT Show inspired by Avercamp’s painting