Embrace the spirit of Christmas by bringing the family along to a special performance by the Cork Light Orchestra at St Joseph’s Church in Wilton, Cork, on Friday, November 28. Taking place from 7pm to 9pm, The Beginning of Christmas will feature the orchestra performing a selection of traditional carols and modern Christmas classics that capture the magic of the holiday season.
Tickets for this festive event cost €20 and are currently on sale at eventbrite.ie.
Festivities at Fitz Of Inch
A brand new Christmas festival is taking place at the Fitz Of Inch country house outside Stradbally in Co Laois.
From Friday to Sunday, December 12 to 14, families visiting the house will be greeted by Santa’s mischievous elves who will offer to paint their faces. They will meet Mrs Claus, who will give them a cup of hot chocolate and sit them down for a storytelling session before leading them into Santa’s Grotto. He will check their names against his nice list, ask what they are hoping to find under the tree on Christmas morning, and give them a small gift.
There are reports that the Grinch might also make an appearance, so families are urged to keep their eyes peeled.
The jam-packed festival includes a food and craft fair, along with live musical performances.
Organisers have introduced a ‘family-of-two’ ticket for one-parent families. The cost is €45, excluding booking fees.
Support Barnardos with ‘Gifts for Good’ this Christmas. This is a campaign the children’s charity is running to raise funds for its services.
Here’s how it works: anyone who logs onto barnardos.ie/gifts will find a range of packages they can purchase for children living in poverty and parents struggling to provide for their families. There are cosy pyjamas, bed socks, and slippers for €18; a schoolbag filled with all the essentials for school for €35; or items such as food vouchers, toiletries and personal care products, books, winter woollies, and more.
Those who make a purchase will then receive a greeting card outlining the impact of their donation, which will also include space for a personal message to be written to a loved one.
These cards could make a thoughtful addition to Christmas stockings this year.
Reusable activity items
Little Learning Steps is a business that produces reusable activity books and mats for young children, which was founded by Terri Morris, a Wexford-based primary school teacher and mother of two.
Keep little ones entertained with My Learning Booklet, which features 20 pages of activities designed to help children learn colours, numbers, and the alphabet, as well as explore their emotions and develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
It’s waterproof and durable, featuring both Velcro and wipe-clean activities that can be repeated again and again. It costs €33 and is available from littlelearningsteps.ie.
Crochet comforts
Celebrate the arrival of a new baby with a handmade rattle and booties set from The Crochet Dolls. It’s one of a range of unique items produced by a team of talented craftspeople led by Arzu Gorbil in Dublin.
Gorbil, who is originally from Turkey, wanted her children to have the same kind of handmade toys she loved as a child. So she set about creating some out of crochet.
This set, below, is just one example of her creations. It includes booties that will fit babies aged from newborn to six months and a rattle that’s made from 100% untreated wood, so it’s safe for babies to chew on when teething.
