Christmas Fayre

As I de-iced my car on Saturday morning and put my gloves on my freezing hands, I knew winter was officially on its way. And that meant that Christmas was also on its way. This fact became even more obvious as I arrived at the main hall of Oxgang Primary School and found Christmas music playing and Christmas decorations all over the room. I then knew for sure that Christmas season had officially arrived! The occasion with which we were welcoming the season was a Christmas fayre that the Riverside Church was hosting for the community of Kirkintilloch.

Various businesses and individuals took part in the Christmas Fayre. Stalls were set up selling designer clothes at good prices, hand-made Christmas cards, hand-made crafts of various kinds, and other items of interest. We also had a chocolate fountain, which brought joy to the many chocoholics in our midst, and Santa Claus himself came down from the North Pole in order to take part in the festivities. A great crowd of people came out to take part in the day, and Santa (who looked suspiciously like our own Ian Ross from church) gave away a lot of gifts to the many children who lined up to sit beside him in his grotto. Outside, there was also a fun fayre operating with bouncy castles and rides. I didn't envy the workers who were out there in the below freezing temperatures, but the children didn't seem to mind at all.













Feedback from the day's event has been fabulous. It was another good opportunity to make contact with the community and provide something for the people who live in Kirkintilloch, and we had great opportunities to share with people who just needed someone to talk to or who had questions about God and life. Some of these people also joined us in church for the first time the next day, giving us yet another opportunity to seek to know them a bit more. We also raised a good amount of money for underprivileged children that we will be using to buy gifts for children in poor families who would not otherwise be able to afford a gift for Christmas, so in every way it seems to have been a very good way to begin the Christmas season.