AS Christmas approaches, a Mitchel­dean family had their home transformed last weekend (November 25 and 26) with a special delivery of real snow.

Far from experiencing an unusual meteorological event, Mark and Amanda Markham and their children received the wintery gift from American clothing and home goods store TK Maxx. The ‘white Christmas’, as depicted in TK Maxx’s Christmas advert, was awarded as part of the company’s “treasure” loyalty scheme prize draw.

The family had their home transformed with equipment usually used in the film industry – plus eight cubic metres of real snow. The couple hid the surprise from their two daughters, nine-year-old Bella whose birthday is on Christmas Day and six-year-old Lena. 

Amanda said: “When their winter wonderland was revealed both girls were stunned and delighted, quickly heading to the back garden to get stuck in.

“For our girls, seeing snow around Christmas time is rare, especially for Lena as she was born overseas. So seeing the smiles on their faces when we revealed the winter wonderland that had been created, and watching them play in the snow for hours with their friends and our neighbours, was so special.

“We’ve definitely started off the Christmas period in the most magical way possible.” 

Deborah Dolce, group brand and marketing director at TK Maxx said: “We wanted to create a real, magical experience for our shoppers this year, something that would be great fun and let everyone across the country join in. A snowy version of a golden ticket.

“We know that lots of people dream of a white Christmas and it’s a special way to bring friends and family together.”