Christmas Tree Festival (Click on a thumbnail for a larger image.)
The church was a riot of shiny colour and there was more than just a buzz of
excitement in the air for the Christmas Tree Festival in December. The twenty
trees on display ranged from traditional real or artificial ones to cardboard, wood
and rope constructions, all decorated in a way that reflected the activities of the
organisation that had decorated it.
Hands, feet and happy faces were popular themes among the younger children's
groups. The teenagers seemed to go for a more impressionistic interpretation of
their activities while the adult groups had been very selective in their choice of
bought and home-made decorations. Most trees were adorned with batterypowered
lights and some even had sound effects. In a quieter corner of the
church visitors were invited to write prayers on cards and hang them on a tree
which was then left in church over Christmas.
The festivals favourite tree, as voted for by everyone who came, was the one
from the Mary Godwin Under Fives - a conical cardboard construction covered in
gold and silver hands from every child in the group and topped with an angel.
There were lots of Christmas goodies on sale and a raffle of Christmas fayre.
Rose Collins won a cuddly toy polar bear by correctly guessing that his name
was Pegasus.
We are really grateful to all those who took part in the festival and to everyone
who visited. The weekend was a financial success too, raising £687 for the
appeal. Everyone was so enthusiastic that we have decided to do it again this year,
with a different theme.
compatible.
