LISTEN AGAIN: Traditional festive displays at Castle Fraser
- S11E20
- 28:31
- November 28th 2025
This episode was first released in 2022.
As we enter December, we’re revisiting a podcast all about how the National Trust for Scotland creates and installs authentic decorations in its places. Listen in as Jackie meets Dr Jo Riley from Castle Fraser, who led a Trust research project into traditional decorations and how they have changed over time. From garlands to gifts, candles to clementines, Jo has examined exactly how previous residents in homes like Castle Fraser would have celebrated.
Jackie and Jo discuss the pagan roots of the festive season, why mistletoe didn’t always mean romance, and who it was that first brough yule logs to Scottish shores.
Find out more about Dr Jo Riley’s research by clicking here.
You can also get the latest visitor information on Castle Fraser, and all of our properties, on the National Trust for Scotland website.
Love Scotland will return in the New Year. Please remember to follow, rate and review the podcast on your podcast platform of choice.
Love Scotland
Love Scotland is a podcast series from the National Trust for Scotland.
From coastlines to castles, art to architecture, wildlife to wilderness, the National Trust for Scotland cares for and protects some of Scotland's most significant places and spaces, allowing them to be enjoyed today while protecting them for future generations.
Hosted by TV star and expert broadcaster Jackie Bird, and featuring experts and enthusiasts from all walks of life, each episode delves deep into the detail of Scotland’s history, its wildlife and its landscapes.
You can find out more about the National Trust for Scotland's work and how to support them at http://www.nts.org.uk.
Love Scotland is produced by Think, Big Light and Demus Productions on behalf of the National Trust for Scotland.
Meet the Host
Scottish journalist and broadcaster, Jackie Bird is familiar to many Scots at home and abroad from her time as a BBC Reporting Scotland news anchor. She has been the host of BBC Scotland’s Hogmanay Live, as well Scotland’s Children in Need coverage, as well as a wide range of documentaries.
Jackie is passionate about the stories behind Scotland’s history and heritage, and she shares the National Trust for Scotland’s drive to bring a love of Scotland to life.