Kick off Christmas with this whimsical exhibition at Henley's lovely River and Rowing Museum that younger kids will love.

I don’t know about you, but it’s not Christmas without the traditional annual viewing of The Snowman (followed by the standard Baileys-induced blub at the ending). If you and your little ones are a fan of this British classic, or its follow-up The Snowman and The Snowdog, then you’ll want to head over to the new exhibition at the River and Rowing Museum in Henley – twinkly lights, Christmas scents and super sweet photo ops (with props, natch).

The exhibition is only a little one, so no need to worry about dragging toddlers around miles of exhibit, and focuses on the hand-drawn illustrations from the film. It’s a real nostalgia hit for adults to see the behind-the-scenes process designed to capture the magic of Raymond Briggs’ original – and the kids will just be happy to see a dog with an orange for a nose.

One thing this museum is really brilliant at is giving an otherwise 2D exhibition a more interactive edge, and there’s plenty even in this one room. Children can dress up as an appropriately wintery character (I wish the penguin suit came in adult sizes – costume department take note!) and take photos with a (nearly) life-size Snowman plane, or put on their own puppet show.

There are clever little smelling boxes (no other word for it really!) with story-related scents for kids to sniff, as well as boxes for them to put their hands inside to guess the object.

To keep them entertained for a little longer, there are fun activity sheets to fill in, as well as a cuddly story corner to relax and read in. There’s not a lot here for the older contingent, but toddlers will be in their element.

Don’t forget to pop by the gift shop for Snowman-themed goodies, and maybe hit up the cafe for the season’s first mince pie and hot chocolate of the season.

The Snowman™ and The Snowdog, 23 Nov 2019 – 19 Jan 2020. River & Rowing Museum, Mill Meadows, Henley, Oxfordshire, RG9 1BF. Tel: 01491 415600.