Christmas Trees and Elf School

There are plenty of fun and festive family activities in and around High Wycombe - you may have already seen my post here where I talk about the ever popular 'Winter Wonderland' at World's End and The Tree Barn at Christmas Common. This last weekend we tried a few more, with two completely free activities in Wycombe town centre - perfect for a break away from your Christmas shopping!

2015 Christmas Tree Festival at All Saints Church
The beautiful All Saints Church is an easily recognisable local landmark and plays an active part in the community. Throughout the year they hold events, concerts and a lovely little toddler group on Friday mornings. It's a welcoming church with a friendly cafe, called The Mustard Seed, at the back and a small children's area with toys and books.



At Christmas they hold a Christmas Tree Festival with 30 trees uniquely decorated by local organisations and businesses. If you have a baby, like Ollie, who is mesmerised by fairy lights then this is a perfect opportunity to grab a magical moment of calm amidst the craziness of Christmas consumerism.

It was lovely too see the tree decorated by the children at work, and a themed tree by Lilymae's Play Cafe but my particular favourite was a memory tree provided by a local funeral directors. They provided little tags for you to add your own note for a loved one sorely missed at this time of year.

Elf School at Eden Shopping Centre
For older children, Eden's Elf School is a fabulous activity for spreading Christmas cheer. Based next to Kids Corner and Sam's Deli is the beautifully decorated elves workshop where you can meet the elves, learn your elf name, create a gift bag to prove your skills and graduate as one of Santa's elves - complete with certificate.

Lily, or Angelic Sugar Bells as she is now known, had a brilliant time chatting with the elves and was very excited to be presented with a candy cane alongside for certification. Sparkle McJingles (or Ollie, as he is more often called) was less impressed unless he was flirting with the other lady elves.

If you have the time, then there is also a free 'Festive Film Club' where you can grab a beanbag and spend a pleasant half hour or so watching a family favourite. We didn't do this today, but might be tempted if it isn't too busy on Christmas Eve.