Tag: #Christmas2020

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Activity Advent

Lorraine Faires shares 24 Ideas to prepare you for Christmas 2020

I am sure everyone is bored of hearing how this year is a little different- so instead I am going to focus on our family traditions which stay the same year on year. Instead of a chocolate calendar we have an activity advent – 24 different activities to prepare for our Christmas celebration. Why not join in with ours or make your own?

1. Start a reverse advent calendar. Items for the food bank are a popular one, or you could write a happy thought down each day and “open” them on Christmas morning.

2. Try a Christmas Zumba workout!

3. Make an Origami ornament- share your best effort on our facebook page!

4. Find out about Christmas in another country- why not adopt a new tradition?

5. Make a decoration (We love using salt dough, but snowman toilet rolls or paper snowflakes are also great)

6. Join the St Nicholas Day Lantern Walk (see What’s On page for details)

7. Have a festive indoor picnic

8. Support a local business- if you aren’t buying this year, try sharing on social media or recommending to a friend!

9. Write a letter- to Father Christmas, a friend or a neighbour (everyone loves getting a hand written letter!) Let them know you are thinking of them, even if you can’t visit

10. Enjoy a mince pie or festive bake (make your own if you can)

11. Today is Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day- join in with your best festive outfit!

12. Make a wreath or garland (upcycle your old decorations)

13. Join in with the Christmas Hamper Zoom service (see opposite  for details)

14. Make and send a Christmas card to someone who would appreciate it

15. Take a day off from the news and read a Christmassy story

16. Indulge in Christmas tunes and sing along as loud as you can!

17. Make and enjoy some Santa Bread

18. Take a walk around Ash Vale to see all the lights

19. Make a nativity scene from recycling material

20. Zoom in to Carols by Candlelight (see What’s On page)

21. Have a festive hot chocolate (We enjoy adding gingerbread men!)

22. Prepare a Christmas Eve Box- you don’t need to buy new- choose your best PJ’s, a nice bedtime story or film and maybe even a game to play. Add a yummy biscuit or two – it is Christmas!

23. Enjoy a Christmas movie

24. Join in with Christingle for the Children’s Society (see What’s On page for details)

Have a really lovely Christmas and enjoy making some special memories and new traditions this year!

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St Mary’s invites you to celebrate Christmas 2020

We love our beautiful cover this issue, a Christingle Orange by Dan Austin. We will be celebrating Christingle out in our community on Christmas Eve this year. Please join us! We wish you a peaceful and blessed Christmas.

Sun 29th Nov 10am – Advent Service on Zoom

Start Advent with beautiful music & worship for the season. For details email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk

Sun 6th Dec – St Nicholas Day Lantern Walk

Enjoy a socially distanced lantern walk from The Chapel on Wharf Rd to St Mary’s and see St Nicholas! (Slots available starting from Chapel 3:30pm — 6:30pm) Please dress for the weather and bring a lantern or torch. Booking is essential. Text / phone 07730 609446

Sun 13th Dec 10am—Service & Christmas Hampers

Zoom church service and the opportunity to donate towards hampers for local people in need. For Zoom details contact parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk  For hamper donations (to give funds or donate items) please contact us on 07730 609446 or the local Covid Support group.

Sun 20th Dec 6:30pm – Carols by Candlelight

Join us from home on Zoom (if restrictions permit we will also have limited tickets in church, booking essential). For Zoom details & to enquire about tickets please email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk

Thur 24th Dec 4:30pm— Christingle Carol Singing

We can’t gather in church for Christingle, so we will come to you! Look out for carol singers out and about in Ash Vale, and join in with the fun on Zoom. Christingle donations are welcomed for the Children’s Society, and a link will be shared on Facebook & Zoom. At 6pm we will be finishing with everyone bell ringing on their doorsteps too! Email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk for links.

Thur 24th Dec 11:30pm – Midnight Mass

Church Service to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. We will be on Zoom (and some seating in church if regulations allow). Contact parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk

Fri 25th Dec 10am – Christmas Morning Service

This is our main Christmas Day Morning Service on Zoom (and some seating in church if regulations allow). Contact parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk for details.

Gifts to help our neighbours. We would like to encourage everyone to ‘buy local’ in 2020, to donate for Christmas hampers here, and also to support our twinned communities in Uganda with Christmas Trees for Christmas. www.amahaweuganda.org Thank You.  

All events are subject to change due to Covid-19 safety rules. Please keep in touch via our mailing list for weekly notices by email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk or keep an eye on Facebook @StMarysAshVale  St  Mary’s Church, Ash Vale, GU12 5JE

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Make a Difference this Christmas

Christmas tree

With the whole world groaning under the strain of coronavirus , on top of climate change and other issues, it feels right to make every penny of our Christmas spending really count this year. Here are some ideas! 

Buy local—it goes without saying, our lovely local shops and entrepreneurs need us more than ever this year! The big chains have big reserves, small businesses do not. So when you’re browsing, please start with local shops and local online sellers first.  Give a voucher, buy a gift, book a treatment… supporting them now means they will still be here in 2021, what a splendid gift! 

Donate for Christmas Hampers—Our local Covid Support group are partnering with St Mary’s doing food parcels, and this Christmas they will also be delivering hampers to local people in need. Keep an eye out for the special  offers and see what you can donate! Donations needed by Sunday 13th Dec please. You can also donate online via  give a little. Thank you  https://givealittle.co/campaigns/7a47190c-ad4e-4cf9-8662-da844101a41c

Give a Christmas Tree in Uganda!

St Mary’s works closely with the charity Amaha We Uganda, supporting our brothers and sisters there to sow seeds of hope, helping people to lift themselves out of poverty.

One of the big problems lately has been soil erosion. It has wiped out crops, destroyed homes and obliterated livelihoods. Re-foresting is crucial and so the AWU team are very busy setting up tree nurseries! Did you sponsor a tree last year—it’s now growing in Uganda!  Please support  this amazing work and why not ‘buy a tree’ in Uganda for a loved one as a present? We will send you a Gift Certificate by email that you can personalise and email (or print and post) to give to your loved ones.  Donate online and simply email alex@amahaweuganda with your donation reference for your certificate.

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/displayCharityCampaignPage.action?campaignId=10240&charityId=1016542

By Alex Sanderson

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No, it’s not cancelled! Christingle is coming to you!

24th December 2020  4:30pm-6:00pm

In the streets of Ash Vale, doorsteps & Zoom 

Join us on Zoom for a virtual Christingle, or join our roving carol singers to bring some Christmas cheer to our neighbours too! At 6pm we will finish off with bell ringing on our doorsteps to wish the whole community a blessed and peaceful Christmas. We will be collecting donations in aid of the Children’s Society online:  https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/

If you’d like the zoom link and a Christingle Kit to make at home, or are interested in joining in with the roving carol singing groups outside please get in touch asap on 07730 609446 or email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk

Please note—we will be following the covid rules, so the carols will be in households, bubbles or small groups according to the laws on the day.

#Christingle2020 #ChildrensSociety #ChristmasEve #CopingWithCovid #LoveWhereWeLive #AshVale #StMarysAshVale #ChristingleAndCarols