Well, we never planned for snow and ice when organising our first Christmas Tree Festival!
We felt considering the circumstances the Christmas Tree festival was a great success despite its challenges. On the Wednesday – set up day many members of community groups enjoyed the atmosphere and excitement of setting up their display and taking much delight in being creative, socialising, listening to Christmas music and admiring each other’s displays.
We opened our doors on Thursday morning to a steady flow of people visiting from the parish and neighbouring parishes. Thursday evening, we hosted the Wreckers Coast Choir for their first performance outside the parish hall to the public and what a treat it was. It was a wonderful atmosphere, and the church was packed, twinkling lights and lit candles all added to the wonderful Christmassy mood. We had an interval which allowed people to mingle, drink mulled wine and admire the trees and of course let the choir rest their voices before the second half.
The songs we sung were:
1. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
2. It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
3. Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
4. Please Mr Postman
5. One More Sleep
6. All I Have to Do Is Dream
7. California Dreamin'
8. Jingle Bell Rock
9. O Holy Night
10 Take Me Home Country Roads
11. Thank You for The Music
12. Merry Christmas Everyone.
13 We Wish You a Merry Christmas
On Friday, the primary school classes came up to view the Christmas Tree Festival and admire their decorations which they did in the school colours of red and blue.
Everyone had been so creative and imaginative in the festival from Tiny Tots using lots of glitter and paint to the Woolsery YFC tree covered in photos of themselves at YFC events and farming life. Val from the little pantry was checking her gingerbread men on a daily basis, and Andrea Ark less from Overleigh plants and cream teas had scones, teacups and jugs covered on her tree. The social club tree was plastered in pictures of their customers who had been popping in to have their photo of the tree. Have I mentioned the French Twinning talking Christmas tree? We may have given Brian further ideas for his next interactive tree!
Saturday and Sunday we had snow to contend with and we thank our willing volunteers and passers by for helping us to clear and grit the church path and a pathway down to the chapel.
People walking around enjoying the wintery scene or out sledging took it as an opportunity to pop in afterwards to enjoy the festival and then visit the chapel to view more trees and warm up with hot drinks and cakes. Children enjoyed the activities that Shirley and Annette provided and added them to the tree. Our food tree to raise awareness of the Harbour Project, was a great success and we are happily passing on the donations to them. We always have a collection box at both Church/Chapel and this is emptied on a regular basis and sent to the project to help those in need.
With much disappointment it was decided to cancel the carol service on Sunday evening, the conditions had got extremely icy underfoot.
The Bradworthy Glass Christmas Tree exhibit that has kindly been donated to go up for auction to be shared between the churches and the Devon Air Ambulance, is still up for silent auction until 20th December, the winning bid will be announced at the Wednesday 21st December Coffee Morning 10.30am. You can enter by visiting the church and pop a bid into the pot.
We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone that helped in every way, from exhibitors, to those helping to set up the bases, to the volunteers manning the church and chapel, to the cake bakers, and of course Sam Gist Electrical and CEF electrical for their time and help in supplies to ensure everything was all safe and to give us least amount of sockets to turn off every night!
We loved organising this festival, it brought so much happiness and joy to peoples faces, we’d love to do it again one day and hope it doesn’t snow so those who couldn’t make it this year can do so another year.
Thank you everyone x