Virtual Advent Tour: Day Two

Welcome to my little part of the 2011 Advent Tour.

Do pop over to http://adventblogtour.blogspot.com/ to check out the other stops

Today I'm going to introduce you to a tradition that seems to be taking off recently around the UK:-

Christmas Tree Festivals!!!!!

Of course the idea of Christmas Trees is quite an old one and first came across here from Germany courtesy of the Victorian royal family. Nowadays it would be strange to find a town in England without one, and a trip into the countriside reveals plenty of them for sale. But the 'tradition' of holding festivals full of trees seems to be quite a new one. I've no idea when (or how) it first started, but a quick google search reveals page after page of them happening around the UK this year.

My experience of Christmas Tree Festivals started last year when it was suggested that my church ought to hold one. It was decided that we could raise funds for charity by filling the church full of christmas trees and invited people to come and see them. We invited local businesses to provide and decorate the trees and so our yearly 'Community Christmas Tree Festival' was born. It was lovely to be able to run it alongside the annual playgroup christmas fair, making the place full of bustle.

This year we've decided to support the local community even more by inviting mainly small independent businesses and local oragnisations to supply the trees- the hope being that this will help them with their advertising. I'm even doing a BookCrossing tree, adorned with decorations and books donated by bookcrossers around the world. There's going to be a quiz, as well as activities for children. We're also providing refreshments and lunches on the Saturday. We hope it will be a real festive occasion, raising lots of money for charity.