Queen to turn Sandringham in a royal Ho-Ho-home with Christmas lights from Blackpool

There will be sleigh rides drawn by huskies, jingle bells and ice skating, with hot turkey and mince pies to ward off the outdoor chill.

And naturally, there will also be fairy lights. Half a mile of them to be precise, festooned from tree to tree - courtesy of the same people who make the illuminations which decorate Blackpool town centre and prom.

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It's not exactly the kind of festive celebration one imagines the Queen might be used to.

But this year Her Majesty's country retreat at Sandringham will host the sort of Christmas that many of her ordinary subjects enjoy.

For the first time, the royal estate where the Queen and her family spend Christmas is to be given the Ho Ho treatment in grand style.

The twinkling lights will be strung up as part of a local family festival starting this weekend and running until the New Year.

Alas, the house itself, which has been a private residence to four generations of British monarchs, is not expected to feature inflatable Santas and laser-lit snowmen in the style so beloved of more ordinary Ho Ho homes around the country.

But should she peek out of an upstairs window on Christmas Day, Her Majesty might easily catch a glimpse of the twinkling lights and star motifs through the trees.

The festival is being organised by Sandringham and local sponsors, including turkey magnate Bernard Matthews.

The fairy lights - composed of thousands of small bulbs arranged in strings and stars - stretch for more than 800 yards in total and will lend an area near the estate's visitor centre a rare measure of Yuletide magic.

They are being made by the Illuminations Department of Blackpool Borough Council, which manufactures and supplies designs commercially.

An early customer was Libya's Colonel Gaddafi, who paid £15,000 to light up Tripoli, and strung fairy lights along the approach to his Palace.

Reports suggested they were quickly taken down after someone realised they mapped out a perfect landing strip for anyone else who fancied lighting up Tripoli in a rather different way.

At Sandringham, the Queen gave her personal approval for this year's festivities, designed to keep estate staff employed during the winter season and entertain Norfolk families into the bargain.

The lights reportedly cost £25,000 - not including the electricity bill - but will be paid for with ticket revenue from the festival.

It will all be in stark contrast to celebrations inside the elegant house, where, by most accounts, Christmas day is a stilted and often gloomy affair. Three-course lunch usually speeds by in an indigestion-inducing 50 minutes, and it's the one time the Queen's dogs know they won't have to wait long to be taken for a walk.

"Everyone wants to get out for some fresh air as soon as possible so they don't have to talk to each other," an insider once revealed.

Traditionally, the family allow a Christmas morning photocall at Sandringham as they attend the local church service before lunch.

Will the Queen opt this year for a fairy-lit husky ride instead?

"Highly unlikely," says a Sandringham source. "But the festival will be closed on Christmas Day - so it's not impossible that she might wander down to see the lights."