Christmas Den The Dengineers

-I'm Lauren.

-And I'm Joe.

-And this is The Dengineers...

..The show that puts you in charge of building your very own dream den.

Dens for adventure...

It's a secret door!

..hanging out with your friends and family...

-Amazing!

-Yeah!

..and dens built to fulfil your dreams.

Amazing. Thank you so much.

Whatever your idea,

the Dengineers team are here to transform your inspiration

into amazing spaces.

Wow!

Built especially for you!

This den is done!

Merry Christmas!

Whoa!

Who-o-o-a!

I love the seaside.

Sun, sea, ice cream.

-Christmas jumpers!

-What?

That's right, Joe, today I bring glad tidings because we're about to

surprise a girl who loves all things Christmas.

Does she...

# Wish it could be Christmas every day? #

-Wow, you can actually sing, can't you?

-Thanks.

Actually, she does, and I've heard there's a giant Christmas present around here that we can hide in.

-Let's go.

-Let's find her.

Today's Dengineer is nine-year-old Astrid from Brighton.

Please, Dengineers, I love Christmas so much that having it once a year

just isn't enough.

Christmas just isn't Christmas

without snow and it hardly ever snows in Brighton, which is rubbish.

Where's the snow?

Being a seaside town,

we're much more used to heatwaves than freezing cold weather.

There's less than a 1.5% chance of us getting snow down here and that's

less than five days a year.

When it does come along, it's a really magical event for her.

This white fluffy stuff comes from the sky and suddenly transforms

everything into what Astrid would call a winter wonderland.

And Astrid also wants a place to get creative.

She's really passionate about art and craft,

and her skills for a girl of her age are really noticeable.

Please, Dengineers,

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

and you can make my dreams come true.

Don't worry, Astrid, that's exactly what's going to happen.

You just don't know it yet.

So here's how it's going to work.

Astrid's dad Dave is in on the surprise and he's bringing Astrid

and the rest of the family down here to Brighton Pier

for a little after-school surprise.

Once they're on the pier,

they're going to come across this massive present,

which we're going to be in,

ready to jump out and give Astrid the surprise of her life.

I am so excited and a little bit nervous.

The Dengineers team spring into action

to set up our hiding place and rig the secret cameras.

With Astrid on the pier, we need to get this surprise wrapped up.

-I'm nervous.

-I'm excited.

Merry Christmas!

Oh, my goodness!

-Hello.

-Hello, Astrid.

Hi. My name is Lauren.

I'm Joe, hello.

And we're from CBBC's The Dengineers.

Astrid, we're here to tell you that we're going to be

making your dream Christmas-themed den.

You can have a bit of festive fun every day, Astrid.

Well done, Astrid. Let's get this den started.

I'm so excited.

I had absolutely no idea.

I never thought the Dengineers were going to come.

Seeing her get surprised was the best thing ever.

We've had to keep it a secret for so long and now it's just amazing that

it's not a secret any more and she's just ecstatic.

It's straight to The Dengineers Mobile HQ,

which is ready and waiting,

packed with technology to bring Astrid's Christmas den to life.

Astrid, welcome to the Dengineers Mobile HQ.

It's in here that we're going to take all of those Christmassy ideas

and start designing your den.

And remember, mate, it's your den, all right?

So if you see anything that you want, just grab it and throw it up there. Is that all right?

Yeah, sounds really cool.

Well, get stuck in. What pictures do you like the look of?

Well, I really like this one because snowing is usually what you think of

when you think of Christmas.

I like all the blues.

-Nice.

-We like a bit of blue, yeah.

Have you thought about what you'd like the outside of the den to look like?

-Oh!

-Wow.

That's like a proper grotto, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Do you know what, that looks exactly like Lapland,

where Father Christmas lives.

Where he actually is all of the time.

I like the look of this.

OK, so Christmassy drinks.

They are the best.

-Yeah.

-Cinnamon.

-Yeah, nutmeg.

Nutmeg, caramel.

All that stuff, right up my street.

I'm going to need somewhere to do my art because I love art.

Keep looking through, see if there's anything else you like.

I like this and this.

-Glitter.

-You cannot have Christmas without a bit of glitter.

-Perfect.

-The Christmas tree

because that's where you usually find all your presents.

Yeah, I mean, you can't have a Christmas den without a Christmas tree.

I really like this because if you've just been in the snow, you need

somewhere to get warmer.

-That will make it look so cosy, won't it?

-Yeah.

-Very exciting.

I like this one.

-Oh.

-Wow.

It kind of looks like where Santa would sit.

You can't have a Christmas tree without decorations.

Tinsel! I think it looks incredible.

There is so much going on,

we've never done anything like it, have we?

We've never done anything like this. But Astrid, it's your den.

Are you completely 100% happy?

Mm-hmm, definitely.

Ready to start building?

-Yes.

-Let's do it.

-Let's get cracking.

-Yes.

Astrid's mood board says Christmas with a capital C.

She wants a traditional log cabin with her very own tree.

There needs to be a cosy fireplace

where she can curl up with a hot drink

and somewhere to do her arts and crafts.

This den is going to jingle all the way, so we need a designer who can

bring some serious sparkle.

It's Maral.

This awesome architect loves a challenge.

She'll be ho-ho-hoping to impress Astrid

with a spectacular Christmas creation.

Are you ready to see your design?

-There we are.

-Wow.

It looks amazing.

So I've come up with a little log cabin decorated with everything

to do with Christmas, so we have kind of deep reds,

greens and a little bit of brown for the log cabin.

You can see that the log cabin over here,

I'm covering it with these pieces of cut logs as if the whole cabin has

been made out of logs.

In this corner of the den I propose that you will have a little desk so

you can do your arts and crafts.

-That would be amazing.

-Do I get a thumbs-up for the design? Can we begin?

-Definitely.

Yes! Let's do it.

Maral has come up with the ultimate festive fun pad.

The outside of the den will be built to look

like a traditional log cabin

and Father Christmas will even be trying to make an entrance

via the chimney.

Inside there will be a cosy fireplace to curl up by

and an arts and crafts station for Astrid

to create her very own decorations.

It's day one and we have arrived with everything needed

to build Astrid the den of her dreams.

But before work can begin, there is a very old shed to get rid of.

And there's nothing the Dengineers love more than a little bit of

demolition.

Off to a smashing start, fellas. Keep it up.

Wa-hey!

I'm really excited,

the Dengineers have just arrived

and hopefully everything will go well with my den.

As we take over the garden, work can begin on the den.

Ready for that one?

So things are well under way here at the den this morning.

The shed has gone, the base is going down,

there's all sorts that the team need to crack on with to...

..today. What is that?

-What's going on there? Oh, hello.

-Hello, there, you all right?

-Hello, what's your name?

-My name's Ross.

-Ross, nice to meet you.

Are you the electrician, Ross?

-I am the electrician.

-You could say there's a Ross-ell in the bushes!

Do you get it? Do you need a hand with anything?

Yeah, if you can get down there,

-I'll pass the cable down to you.

-Yeah, sure.

-There we go.

-You got that?

Yeah. And what's this for, then?

It's going to feed the den, the electric for the den.

Oh, I see.

We've never done a Christmas den before

and Maral is feeling the pressure.

Although I'm very excited, I'm a little bit nervous

because Christmas is very important

to many kids and many families,

so it's very important for us to get this right.

This looks pretty big.

You've got a history of doing big dens.

I don't know what you mean! It's big but it's not too big.

It's still going to feel quite cosy.

Now that the Dengineers are up and running,

the time has come to politely ask Astrid's

mum and dad to get out of their own back garden. I love this bit.

This is the moment where Astrid gets to kick you out.

-Oh, my.

-Oh, dear.

-Do you want to tell them to sling their hook?

The Dengineers only.

-OK! Go!

-Get out of here!

See you guys!

We'll look after it, it'll be fine.

It's very tempting to peek but having said that,

we're all up for the surprise, so...

As much as we do want to take a peek,

we're happy to wait because we don't want to spoil anything

for the final day.

The Dengineers need to get the whole framework of the den up today,

even the roof, and as it's a big den, it's a big job.

Yes! Christmas presents, all for me!

Whoa, whoa.

What do you mean? Not even one?

Oh, we're just kidding. Here.

-This one's for you.

-Brilliant! What's it going to be?

Is it going to be a pair of trainers?

Maybe it's going to be some kind of tablet.

Let's have a... What's that?

-It's a roller.

-I suppose you want me to do some painting today,

-do you, Maral?

-You promised you'd help.

-Right, then.

In that case, guys...

Let's roll! Come on.

Yeah!

What are we painting, guys?

We are painting the decking that's going to go outside of the den.

We're going to create a veranda which is just like a little porch

and it's going to be really colourful and festive

so that's why we're painting it green.

Actually, it matches my top

and it's a nice contrast to yours.

Lauren, I'm not quite sure what you're wearing.

No, I'm not festive right now.

I really should have planned ahead and got some kind of gold.

You should have checked in with us.

I didn't think this one through.

To put me in more of a festive mood,

I'm off to find out why Christmas means so much to Astrid

from her mum and dad.

How much does Astrid love Christmas?

I'd say she's pretty obsessed.

Yeah, she absolutely loves Christmas.

Always has. Throughout the year, she's always talking about it.

So like, I start planning it maybe in October,

but when does Astrid start planning?

Oh, early Jan.

-Early Jan.

-He's not joking.

She loves the tree, to the extent where we have to have two because

she has her own ideas about decorating the tree,

which are kind of somewhat different to my ideas about decorating.

OK, so what would you decorate the tree as?

It would probably be quite tame.

So, dainty baubles.

What would Astrid go for?

All manner, all manner of decorations.

Like Christmas has actually thrown up on a tree?

-Yeah, pretty much.

-Tinsel.

Her version of Christmas involving everything.

So this is going to be so special for her, then, to have that den?

-Yeah.

-It's like having Christmas Day all the time.

Yeah.

Now that the decking boards are dry,

Astrid takes charge of fitting them to the base.

The back panels of the den need to go into position.

It takes a lot of people to lift each one,

as they are made from solid timber,

but Astrid is on hand to make sure they go in exactly the right place.

The framework of the den is shooting up and Astrid's log cabin starts to

take shape and the Dengineers are drilling for all they are worth.

Well,

this looks incredible.

That is the main frame up.

-But you guys are here just in time because the front wall is going to go up.

-Yeah!

And you get to see it.

Three, two, one, here we go.

Wow!

-That's awesome.

-Pretty cool.

Yoo-hoo!

But we have a problem.

The den is completely open to the elements and rain is on its way.

So the Dengineers have to go up a gear to make the den watertight.

As the last roof panel goes into place, the rain arrives,

which means soggy Dengineers.

I am very pleased with what we've achieved today.

The roof wasn't on completely and we needed to put the felt on,

particularly because the floor on the inside hasn't been stained

and it's not waterproof so we didn't want to get any damage to it.

It's day two of the build and the weather

is really messing the Dengineers about.

We've just come back this morning and it's been raining overnight,

nonstop, heavy rain and wind, so everything is damp.

It's going to affect our workflow this morning quite a lot.

Does it fit? Oh, hey! We like that.

To you.

Things are starting to brighten up for the Dengineers

and I want to find out more from Maral about her log cabin design.

Oh, Maral,

I see you brought me a nice little snack.

-Thank you.

-It's not for eating.

-Oh.

-It's for demonstration purposes.

OK. Don't touch it. What's it all about?

So this is very similar to Astrid's Christmas den and one of the main

features is actually the pitched roof.

So what's a pitched roof?

A pitch of the roof, basically,

is the way we measure the steepness of the slope of the roof,

so Astrid's den actually has a 30 degree angle,

which is typical of log cabins.

So why don't we just use, like, a flat roof?

It would be easier for all of us,

wouldn't it, if we just put a flat roof on it, right?

It would be a lot easier but here's a flat roof.

-Uh-huh.

-If there was a lot of snow falling onto a flat roof,

it would be a lot of weight to carry and there wouldn't be anywhere for

the snow to melt or for the water to go to.

It's just going to sit there right on top.

It's just going to sit there like this.

-OK.

-And if we add a bit of pressure...

Oh. So we don't want that.

The roof just collapses. There is a lot of weight to it.

With the pitched roof over here, if we have the snow that's falling...

The gravity will pull it down.

-It is, isn't it?

-Gradually.

It's just falling really, really softly rather than going through.

Exactly.

Maral has designed Astrid

a traditional log cabin with a pitched roof

at an angle of 30 degrees.

This means Astrid's roof is not too steep or too shallow,

which will allow snow and rain to fall off gently.

Last night's heavy rain has stopped some of the wood circles

from sticking properly, so a repair job is needed.

I'll put some glue on.

-There we go.

-Could you put one there?

-Yeah.

-Perfect.

There's nothing worse than watching stuff dry so I've set up a very

special treat for Astrid involving her favourite thing in the world.

Astrid, nice to see you.

We know how much you love snow but you can't rely on the British weather.

So Lauren and the Dengineers thought it would be a good idea for your

den-day-out for me to dress like this

and I'll take you for an ice cream.

I'm called Frosty the Joe-Man.

-What do you reckon?

-Mmm...

Oh, yeah, you're not into that, I can understand.

Well, good job we've got something much more exciting planned

and it all happens in there.

I've brought Astrid to visit the world leaders in winter special effects.

They're been working their magic for over 30 years

on some of Hollywood's biggest films

including Harry Potter, James Bond, even Star Wars.

There's "snow" doubt about it, this is going to be brilliant.

We're meeting Andrew,

a snow wizard who can create

all sorts of special effects for the big screen.

So this is all real snow?

No. None of this is real.

It's all artificial.

If you want it winter, we can make it.

-Can you make it snow?

-Yeah, we can make it snow.

How about that?

-What?

-Whoa! This is just like real life!

-It's amazing.

And not even chilly!

Look.

It's just bubbles and they just disappear after a while.

Wow.

Foam is just one of over 100 different types of artificial snow and ice made here

and they use all sorts of materials, including paper, wax,

biotextiles and plastics.

I'm going to show you something really cool.

Polymer snow. We just put this dry powder inside of here, add the water

and it starts to become snow.

-Look at that.

-Wow, that's amazing.

Oh, it feels great.

-It feels amazing.

-Oh, yeah.

Chuck a bit of snow sparkle on that.

Exactly, I think a bit of ice sparkle,

a bit of snow sparkle on the top.

We've got Christmas on our hands.

Dressing snow on movie sets is a skilled job

and Andrew shows us how to give trees the wow factor.

-Go on.

-Hold it upwards.

Here you go, mate.

Bring it this way a little bit.

And you sort of aim it up so it comes down like real snow?

Yeah, we want it to be as natural as we can make it.

You're doing a great job there, Astrid.

And that's just paper?

Just paper and water. Look.

So we can make snowballs with it if we want to.

This type of snow is safe to use in outdoor locations because it's

biodegradable and it can be easily cleared up using air blowers or water hoses.

Would you like to work as a snow technician?

Yeah, probably.

Covering a tree is one thing but what happens when you need to cover

a space the size of a football pitch?

You bring out the big boys.

If we want to do falling snow, big style like they do in the movies,

then this is what we use.

Look, they're so big, those cannons.

This is the biggest effect we can do for falling snow.

Wow. I'm not going to lie,

I think this might be the best thing that's ever happened.

I've had a brilliant time and I love snow and this place has more snow

than I could ever imagine.

She's snow mad. Could leave her there all day. She wouldn't mind.

Don't think she'd notice.

It's "snow joke" building dens, and Dengineer David has a confession to make.

We couldn't get enough cladding for the inside,

so we've managed to cover the whole building, but not the interiors.

-I'll get on it.

-OK?

Thank you.

Log cladding is the material that Maral's using to cover the den

inside and out, and extra is needed to finish the inside.

So while the Dengineers wait for a delivery,

it's all hands on deck to get the outside painted.

Finally, it's arrived.

But the holdup means that the team are under pressure to get the inside

of the den finished before the end of the day.

The Dengineers are on it,

I have no doubt that we will finish on time.

The last pieces of cladding go into place and after a quick sweep around,

the inside of the den's ready for tomorrow.

Bring on the decorations.

Look at that beauty.

-Beautiful floor, isn't it?

-Yeah!

It's day three of the build and today the Dengineers officially

bring Christmas to Astrid's den.

It's all about the details.

Maral's adding a snow-covered top to the porch,

and a stone effect wallpaper on the fireplace.

From now on, Astrid won't be able to see her den until the big reveal,

but that doesn't mean she can put her feet up,

as Maral's keen to put her art and craft skills to good use.

Astrid, I've got an idea for an upcycle with this piece of plywood

that is a bit left over from the den.

So we're going to paint it gold with this really nice gold paint that we

have here, and then we're going to stick these cardboard tubes that I've

painted white into a shape of a Christmas tree.

-Cool.

-And all of these are going to be little storage

for all your arts and craft stuff.

Cool.

It's a really pretty colour.

-Quite Christmassy?

-Yeah, it's really festive.

Right, let's bring it over, and just do the edge.

Only a little bit, doesn't need much.

Astrid helps Maral create a Christmas tree shape

with the painted tubes.

Put some of these small ones in between.

Yeah, I'm pleased with that.

Should we stick them down? Great.

Great, if you just stick one last piece.

Perfect.

Just like Father Christmas and his elves,

Maral puts the whole team to work, painting the den.

And it's all worth the effort as Maral and Astrid

have got a treat for the Dengineers.

Everyone, you've done so great today,

I think you deserve some Christmas lunch.

ALL: Here, here.

ALL: Merry Christmas!

-Hey!

-Hey!

After a well-deserved rest,

Dengineer David's found something blocking the chimney...

..and those boots aren't moving anytime soon.

One of my favourite things at Christmas is putting up the decorations

and Maral has got shedloads of them.

We've got a Christmas tree on the door.

-What more could you want?

-All the noise the Dengineers have been making,

I think they've worked really hard today.

I am really excited to see what it looks like.

Today has gone so well.

We have had the weather on our side and we've had all the team here

helping out. So it has gone really, really well.

I can't wait to see Astrid's face tomorrow when she sees her den for

the first time with all the trimmings.

'Twas the night before Christmas...

I mean, the night before the big reveal.

And there is just one more sleep until Astrid sees her finished den

for the very first time.

It's finally here, the day of the big reveal,

and in just a matter of hours,

Astrid is going to get to see her Christmas den for the first time.

Yeah, and we have got a surprise lined up that's going to make all of

her dreams come true - we're going to make it snow.

We're actually going to make it snow!

Yeah, we are. But before the special effects team arrives,

there is still loads to do.

-Wow.

-It's Christmas!

-It's Christmas.

-This is amazing.

Shh! She doesn't know yet.

It's so good.

-Do you want to come and see inside?

-Yes! Let's have a look.

-It looks incredible!

-Actually magical.

-It's quite Christmassy, isn't it?

-Oh!

-We've gone all out.

Maral, the detail on this is incredible.

-Yeah.

-I don't know how you've done it.

-I'm glad you like it.

-I love this.

-She's melted chocolate.

It's actually melting right now.

I'm so happy. Can I do it?

Yeah, yeah. Not all of it, though.

Argh!

Oh, no.

Hot! It's hot.

There is one last present for the den -

a show-stopping miniature log cabin in gingerbread

-from local cake-maker, Faye.

-That's amazing.

It looks just like the den.

Now that the finishing touches are in place,

the "elf 'n' safety" officer has turned up to inspect the den.

-Santa will be pleased.

-Fingers crossed he gives it the thumbs-up.

Jingle jangle, look at them dangle.

Ah. Measure here. Hey-hey!

All that's left to do now is make it snow, make it snow,

make it snow.

Are you ready to have a go?

-I'm up, I'm up.

-So as soon as you do that, the snow will come on.

When you go like this, they'll kill the snow.

Got it! Snow!

Yes! Look at that!

Give me more snow!

Don't do my side!

-Look at me!

-Kill the snow!

No! Don't!

As the final few snowflakes fall into place,

Astrid still has no idea it's going to snow for the reveal of her

Christmas den.

Astrid wanted a den where it's Christmas 365 days a year and the

Dengineers have created just that.

Where the old garden shed and wall once stood,

there is now a beautiful log cabin.

Astrid has got a cosy fireplace to curl up by,

space to do her arts and crafts, and a snack station for treats.

But will she be blown away with her den and the fact it's snowing in her

own back garden?

Look at this!

-It's amazing.

-Is everybody ready to see the den?

-ALL:

-Yes!

-Let's count down. Five, four, three, two, one!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Oh, my goodness.

What do you think?

It's amazing.

Do you think Maral has done a good job?

-Definitely.

-I'm glad you like it.

It's amazing, isn't it?

You haven't seen nothing yet, wait till you get inside.

-Do you want to have a look?

-Shall we go for it?

Wow. That is so cool.

-What do you think?

-Do you like it?

I love the reindeer.

And it's got a red nose like Rudolph!

-Yeah!

-It's the cutest thing.

You can also watch films on there,

you can watch some Christmas movies on it, as well,

-when you don't want to get warm.

-Cool.

-I like the chair.

-Come on, come and have a seat.

See if it's comfy enough.

-It's really comfy.

-Yeah?

The exciting thing about that

is that you are actually next to the snack station,

where you've got a whole jar of marshmallows and chocolate.

You can even melt your chocolate and dip your marshmallows,

which I tried earlier and it's brilliant.

That's so cool!

Is it what you imagined, Astrid?

It's more than I imagined.

Is it really?

-Yeah, thank you, Maral.

-You're welcome.

I'm glad you like it. It was all your ideas anyway.

-We couldn't have done it without you.

-Mum and Dad!

-Mum!

-Oh, my...

-It's amazing.

Look at this, Astrid.

-Is that melted chocolate?

-Yeah.

When it started snowing in my garden,

it made me feel like it was a white Christmas.

-MUM:

-It was amazing.

-DAD:

-Beyond all expectation.

-Absolutely.

-The attention to detail was incredible.

-MARAL:

-I couldn't be more pleased with how the den turned out.

Everybody worked so hard

and everything just came together beautifully at the end.

ALL: This den is done!

Merry Christmas!