Saturday 6 December

Forest Hill festive activities ? including an appearance by Father Christmas and his reindeer.
Location: Foresters Arms, Perry Vale (12 ? 4pm).

Forest Hill craft-making event ? Christmas craft activities.
Location: Forest Hill Library (10am ? 12pm)

Friday 12 December

Honor Oak Christmas celebrations ? carols, switching on of Christmas lights, craft market.
Location: opposite Honor Oak Park train station (5 ? 7pm)

Just a bit more information about the Fores Hill Christmas Event:

Santa is coming to town on Saturday 6th December and he will be bringing three of his reindeers for all to see. Yes they are real reindeers.
They will be at the All Inn One (Foresters Bar) 53 Perry Vale, SE23 2NE between 12noon and 4pm.
There will also be Punch & Judy, Face Painters and a few tables of gifts and crafts. Refreshments and food will also be available for you to purchase.
Punch & Judy shows are at 12.30 and 2.30 pm and you can visit Santa between 1.15 till 2.25 and 3.00 and 4.00 pm.
Your local shops, throughout Forest Hill ,will have special offers or their own hospitality on the day so look out for the Reindeer on the windows of those participating shops.
The event is a Forest Hill Traders Association Initiative.?

Sounds good. My kid will love the reindeers!

Fantastic! Santa Claus is coming to town! Time to behave myself!!

This is obviously the genuine article if he is arriving with the reindeers! I wonder if Rudolph is working this year?

I so love Christmas!

I hate to disappoint you but the details say that 'Yes they are real reindeers'. I think this implies that it will not be the real Father Christmas.

Christmas Carols at the Stanstead Strip community garden, Thursday 18 December 7pm-8pm. Everyone welcome to sing along and enjoy mulled wine and mince pies at the Strip's first ever musical event! The garden is on 'old' Stanstead Road, London SE23 1BS, just along from Shannon's Garden Centre. Songsheets provided!

Linda and I had the pleasure of visiting two Christmas Fairs today in Forest Hill; the charity Sydenham Gardens' in Champions Hall in Champion Road and the Forest Hills Traders Association held at All Inn One.

For Sydenham Gardens, we were both superbly impressed by the huge efforts made by the volunteers and by the variety and inventiveness of the stalls at their event - we both would recommend the Christmas Wreath that the charity is producing for this Yuletide and is available for uplift on 17 December.

Congratulations to everyone involved and given the number of visitors, we are sure the event will have made a valuable contribution.

Go have a look at

http://www.sydenhamgarden.org.uk/

For a solid follow up, the Forest Hills Traders Association event at All Inn One with real reindeer was both warm and a provided a family event that could be enjoyed by everyone.

Police Cadets were in attendance and large numbers of visitors enjoyed tasty Christmas Fare provided by Richard and Julia. Several stall holders were present displaying splendid and varied goods.

Parents and children had an exciting and enjoyable time, enhanced by Santa's presence.

Both well serviced events deserve our support.

The Sydenham Gardens Christmas Fair was splendid, especially the music quartet and their "Elizabethen" sounding tunes.
Sydenham Gardens also has a Christmas Carol Concert at St. George's Church Woolstone Road on Friday 19/12/08 at 7.30pm.

For those of us who like carol concerts, the German Church in Dacres Road has one on Sunday 14/12/08 at 3.30pm, followed by a visit from "St. Nicholas"!

Friday, 12th December - Honor Oak Christmas celebrations including Christmas lights, carols, and a small craft market.
http://honoroak.blogspot.com/2008/11/chr...-park.html

Weekend, 13th & 14th December - Havelock Walk Open Studios
http://www.havelockwalk.com

Sunday, December 14th, 12-5pm - Craft market at the Hob, opposite Forest Hill Station.
http://www.edcomedy.com/listings.html

Saturday, 13th December - Forest Hill Library, craft-making event.
http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/NewsAndEvents...am2008.htm

Sunday, 14th December - Carol Concert at Horniman Gardens, including roasted chestnuts, toy stalls, and free Santa's grotto.
http://www.horniman.ac.uk/events/carols.php

And don't forget

Christmas Carols at the Stanstead Strip community garden

Thursday 18 December 7pm-8pm.

Everyone welcome to sing along and enjoy mulled wine and mince pies at the Strip's first ever musical event!

The garden is on 'old' Stanstead Road, London SE23 1BS, just along from Shannon's Garden Centre. Songsheets provided!

Right ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls I want your opinion on this. Seeing as we have 'Forest hill day' (which I always attend by the way) I think it would be a good idea to host some sort of event at Christmas time, preferably in Hornimans park, where else. I personally like the German market theme which would tie in well with se23's German past but I also like the smell of sausages. If you're reading this in Sydenham you're more than welcome but no east Dulwich lot and certainly no riff raff from Catford, the hill's got an image to live up to after all. I'm not suggesting this year as I'm sure most of you have made plans but what about next year? What stall or theme would you like?

Actually, there is a rather fine event at Christmas time- its called the Horniman Carol Concert. I have always thought that more could be done however in the gardens on the day, ie better lighting, hot dogs. there was an indoor market this year but apart from Santas Grotto not much else. A European Style market could be good, as well as an ice rink created in the old pool at the bottom.
It would be a good attraction however these things probably are expensive to put on for one day only and there may not be the necessary footfall to make it work.
However what you propose is a great idea. Perhaps talk to the museum staff to see if something can be done? It will probably need a promoter and formal organisation.

A German Christmas market for 2009 sound good. And you are right, with Forest Hill's German connections it doesn't seem like a left of field idea.

If you want a German market there seems to have been one for the last month outside my office on the South Bank (next to the Eye). Short journey to Waterloo, not that I would wish to encourage you to shop outside SE23.

This year Forest Hill had so many events that they probably detracted from each other. On one weekend there were events and stalls in Honor Oak, Hob, Havelock Walk, Horniman, and the library (All Inn One, Stansted Strip, and Sydneham Gardens were on different days). Ideally we would have all the events on the same day(s) to increase the footfall to each one of them.

I have to say that the craft market at the Hob was a little disappointing this time, probably because of the other markets being organised.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who made it to the Stanstead Strip for the Carols tonight. Great turnout, singing, pies and wine and great weather!

Happy Christmas

2009 Christmas events start tomorrow

Saturday, 5th December.
10am-5pm ? All Inn One ? Dancing on Ice. The car park will be transformed into SE23?s only ice rink with skates of all sizes available for hire. Father Christmas will be there, as will carol singers and face painters. Food and drink a-plenty!

Father Christmas will also be at Question Bar 45/47 Dartmouth Road between 2 and 3.15pm. He will then do a walkabout in The Town Centre. Festive singing will be provided by the Youth Choir from Living Springs International Church

12-5pm - Craft Fair at The Hob, 7 Devonshire Road.

12-5pm, The Honor Oak, 1 St German?s Road - Tea & Make. Craft and the art of making-do. PLUS Celebrity Christmas Light switch-on at 5pm! (Special guest to be announced.)

Next week:
Saturday, 12th & Sunday, 13th December - The Havelock Open Studios. The artists invite you to join the excitement and show your support for creativity in the community.

PLUS 11th December ? 7-9pm - Opening Night. Barbecue, Music, Performance. They're also having a prize draw during the open studios to win one of three works of art - tickets ?1 each. http://www.havelockwalk.com

Sunday, 13th December from 11am. Tree dressing in Mayow Park, by the pavilion. It would help us if you could bring any special scraps of fabric, coloured leaves, berries, paper, ribbon and glue with you. There?ll also be a Christmas Fair between 11am and 4pm with Father Christmas, a local choir and market stalls.

Sunday, 13th December ? 3pm- 6pm. Horniman Gardens Carol Singing. Christmas really isn?t Christmas until you?ve sung your heart out at this fabulous annual event. The carols start at 5pm with the English Baroque Choir and Crystal Palace Band. But before that there?s festive fun with a FREE Santa?s grotto, refreshments, toy stalls, roasted chestnuts.

That?s an impressive line up. Makes me proud to live in Forest Hill

It is indeed an inpressive line up - just makes me sure than ever that i must move back to FH

I know a few people have complained about FH, however compared to other areas, i think it is a great place to live

But why is the last event scheduled here nearly a fortnight before Christmas? What happened to the Twelve Days?

Maybe because of the way Christmas falls this year and a lot of people go away nearer the actual day? Anyway, there is an additional date to add to Michael's list - the Hob is running a Craft Fair next Saturday the 12th, 12-5pm to tie in with Havelock Walk Open Studios.