Getting ready for Xmas

Christmas is a magical time, even at Hogwarts. As soon as December comes around, The Great Hall transforms into a Winter Wonderland. But did you know that the annual display isn’t forged by magic?

Xtra to the rescue

Despite Hogwarts being the home of some of the world’s most skillful witches and wizards, they just can’t quite do Christmas like Muggles can. And that’s why the job of bringing the festive spirit to the castle is sub-contracted to Xtra, the Muggle-based decoration company (you may have seen their signage, botanical installments, or catering business before?)

Dumbledore and Hagrid welcome the Xtra team to Hogwarts. Two boats were just enough to transport all of their kits. But boy was it cold out on the Great Lake, beanie hats were a must!

“So this ‘ere is The Great Hall that we want you to decorate. Nice an’ grand if ya wouldn’t mind. Hope you’ve got lots of decorations in that bag of yours!”, said Hagrid to the Xtra team.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore was making friends with the 4-legged member of the Xtra team.

The decorations

Xtra were known for their simple yet stylish approach to design. Nice clean pieces. Easy pieces to install. Fair prices. Excellent additions for any occasion.

These lovely white leaf pieces looked lovely hanging from the roof of the hall, especially with the blue accents.

The central display looked magnificent, a simple tree, presents and snowman (upon which a spell was cast to keep it frozen!), surrounded by beautiful golden railings, with candy canes on its corners and wreaths added for that finishing touch.

And it wasn’t just inside that was being transformed. Swapping the anti-pigeon spikes for beautiful snowflakes, and combining them with simple lighting allows the castle to shine even in a starry night sky.
Be careful if ordering these pieces though, the packaging suggests that these are green when they are clearly blue…

The Xtra team had done a great job decorating Hogwarts. The school isn’t flush with money, the Ministry of Magic had been cutting back on spending recently. But the few pieces they could afford went a long way, complimenting the grandeur of the castle very effectively. The wizarding community was very thankful that they could share the Christmas traditions with their non-magical counterparts.

Dumbledore wanted to show the Xtra team his appreciation with a few presents. He wasn’t entirely sure how these so called ‘snow shoes’ worked, but it was one of the more intriguing sporting goods he had come across in his latest book about Muggles, so he thought it would go down well.

(Thanks to our friends at LEGO for providing the Xtra polybag for review.)

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Stacy

Lego. Geology. Photography.
Trying to combine the three.

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Maëlick

3 years ago

Loving the story Stacy!
That said I never found yet an Xtra polybag that I wanted. Most of the time there are only a few pieces that I don’t already have or am interested in, and the value isn’t there for me :D

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Stacy Phillips

Reply to Maëlick

Thanks! Yeah, I’m not sure I would’ve bought any of the Xtra poly bags myself for those same reasons. But I’m glad I’ve managed to ‘accumulate’ them and they’re generally helpful little additions that I’ve found some fun uses for :)

Xtra to the rescue

The decorations

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