For when the forecast falls apart in and around Keswick. Everything here is under a roof, or has enough indoor space to be worth the drive anyway.
An hour making a clay gargoyle, or whatever creepy creature takes their fancy, with the museum's learning team. Adults do not need a ticket unless they are crafting, but must stay. Messy, in the good way.
Keswick's big Christmas show, made in-house with the music company Goblin: Scrooge, Marley's ghost and the full Dickens, age 6 and up. There is a relaxed performance on 24 November and captioned and signed shows on 12 December.
Santa, underground. A bus takes you up to a hidden entrance, you walk lit tunnels past the elves' workshop and the sleigh chamber, make a wish and get a gift, then come down an underground sledge slope. The mine's own words are that it sells out every year without exception, and at the top of Honister Pass in December, check the road before you set off.
A 55 minute Christmas show for ages 3 and up in the Studio, with magic, music and a malfunctioning robot helping save a forgotten town's Christmas spirit. No interval and under an hour, which is exactly the right length for a first theatre trip. Under 16s must be with an adult ticket holder.
An hour of puppetry and shadow play from Indefinite Articles: Geppetto carves Pinocchio on stage and brushes turn into a fox. Age 4 and up, and a good one for the week after Christmas.