Christmas Tree Festival

art. house. mum.

Today we met up with some friends at the local Christmas Tree Festival.  It's become one of our family traditions.  The kids refer to the church that hosts the festival as the Christmas Tree Church and all year we look forward to the festival.  It's one of those traditions that you don't create intentionally but seems happily here to stay.

Just between you and me, it's kind of hometown dorky... and that suits us just fine.  On the surface there's nothing to blow you out of the water.  Until you start to think about all the people who have donated time an expertise this year and over the years to make it all happen.  All the people who have worked together on this common cause.  Now what is the word for that?...

Oh yeah, community.  This festival exudes community.  We missed out on the free concerts and the big market day.  But right throughout the festival there are free balloons and ice blocks for the kids and cake and coffee for the adults.  There's also a church-crafters-stocked stall and a second hand stall in the church hall.  Too good!  I stocked up on a few presents for the coming year and grabbed the kids a little toy each to keep them busy at home in the afternoon.

The decorations range from plastic to fantastic and everything in between.  Many are handmade, and the nicest thing was seeing our bunch of kids run up to different trees and declare in strictly non-church voices "I wike it!" and "Everyone.  EVERYONE Look at this!"

The volunteers running the festival didn't smile nicely when the kids made some noise... they offered them the pulpit microphone.  Literally.  We politley declined before the kids could get the gist of what was on offer...  Some kids might stick to the suggested "Merry christmas everyone", but we weren't to sure about our kids.

The ushers even thought to invite our kids to run down the aisle.  I kid you not.  What kid needs an invitation? 

But as a parent, that kind of welcome is so nice.  And you've got to think that the little baby that all the fuss is about at Christmas would agree...

If you're in Toowoomba drop on in for a look. 

St Luke's Anglican Church. 

Corner of Ruthven and Herries Streets, Downtown Toowoomba. 

Mon - Sat 9am - 9pm (I didn't realise that it was open so late) Sun 12noon - 9pm. 

Until 19th December 2012.

g