Chandler's Ford Today

Main navigation

Christmas in Chandler's Ford

All you need to know about Christmas in Chandler's Ford and Eastleigh. Enjoy beautiful Christmas stories and memories written by friends from Chandler's Ford. Find more Chandler's Ford upcoming events here.

A Christmas Eve Like No Other

By 1 Comment

A Little History

When the hillsides and jungles of Sri Lanka were being opened up to British planters of coffee in the middle of the 19th century, the planters were desperate for workers but the Sri Lankans, the Sinhala, were not interested in working for foreign colonialists. Why should they? They had their patch of paddy to tend, a coconut plantation and banana trees, they were self-sufficient and the British only needed them at the time of the coffee harvest. [Read more…] about A Christmas Eve Like No Other

Tags: , , , , ,

Beautiful Christmas Church Services 2017. How’s your Christmas Day?

By 7 Comments

Last night I attended the Candlelit Carol Service at Eastleigh Baptist Church. My friends have recently joined the church and sang at the choir, so I went there for support and friendship.

The service was absolutely brilliant, uplifting, and enjoyable. It was beautifully intertwined with poetry, drama, and songs. There was a choir made up of adults and children, a top-class 4-people band, a modern drama (family got stuck on M25; a sulky teenager; train being late), a classical play (with costumes; tea-towel-headed shepherds that sort of thing), and Spoken Word. The Spoken Word was beautifully written: short passages in rhymes, and the narrators were passionate with their narration. To top that, both screens highlighted the keywords being read, so the visual impact was very powerful.  [Read more…] about Beautiful Christmas Church Services 2017. How’s your Christmas Day?

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Greetings from Sri Lanka 2017

By 1 Comment

Christmas Greetings from Kandy. Sri Lanka may be 80% Buddhist, but they do like the story of Baby Jesus. For many, religion is like belonging to a club, you can change or be a member of several. Why not enjoy the Poya days (full moon) at the Buddhist temple, Diwali at the Hindu and a few Carols at the Church?   [Read more…] about Greetings from Sri Lanka 2017

Tags: , , , , ,

Christmas in Chandler’s Ford 2017

By Leave a Comment

This morning I attended the church service at the Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church.

The service was led by Rev Dr Howard Mellor. He is a great speaker and his speech was full of humour. He started off showing a blue and white t-shirt representing Huddersfield Town, as he told us he watched the match yesterday and he showed his support for the blue and white team!

I don’t know anything about football, but his introduction using football seemed very well received. [Read more…] about Christmas in Chandler’s Ford 2017

Tags: , , , , , ,

Christmas wrapping

By 7 Comments

It’s that time of year again – Christmas present wrapping.  Some people are able to easily create perfectly wrapped presents, with paper held tightly against the gift and tied with pretty ribbons and bows.  I’m not.  I rely on numerous strips of sticky tape to hold the wrapping together and stop loose edges coming away. It has been suggested that I don’t need to bother with a ‘from’ label on the gifts I give – it’s obvious from the way its been wrapped that it’s from me. [Read more…] about Christmas wrapping

Tags:

Santa’s Grotto at Brambridge Garden Centre with Eastleigh Lions

By Leave a Comment

Santa’s arrival at Brambridge Park Garden Centre was met by a huge crowd of smiling faces. He was accompanied by Eastleigh Lions and children from the charities Simon Says and Eastleigh Young Carers, aboard a lovely heritage bus kindly loaned from Southampton & District Transport Heritage Trust. Huge thanks go to Tom Lingwood, the driver, for safely delivering the party.  [Read more…] about Santa’s Grotto at Brambridge Garden Centre with Eastleigh Lions

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Christmas – What’s So Special?

By 2 Comments

I was walking along Park Road in Chandler’s Ford earlier in November and overheard a conversation between a mother and her son she’d just picked up from school. The mother told the son that they would put up their Christmas tree that evening. It was another example for me – along with the constant Christmas TV adverts, the endless playing of Christmas music and the Christmas goods in the shops and the Christmas decorations that are pretty much everywhere – that the Christmas festivities seem to start earlier and earlier each year! [Read more…] about Christmas – What’s So Special?

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Eastleigh Lions Club Santa at the Brambridge Garden Centre Grotto

By Leave a Comment

On Saturday the 25th November 2017 Eastleigh Lions Club Santa will arrive at the Brambridge Garden Centre Grotto in style on a 1960s Southampton City Bus, kindly provided by the Southampton & District Transport Heritage Trust, driven by Dave. [Read more…] about Eastleigh Lions Club Santa at the Brambridge Garden Centre Grotto

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Review: Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities 44th Christmas Market 2017

By 3 Comments

Once a year I go to the Joint Charities Annual Christmas Market in Chandler’s Ford to buy a few Christmas cards (I don’t have that many friends to send cards to) and use it as a chance to catch up with friends, and also have my coffee morning with friends at the Dovetail Centre Café. [Read more…] about Review: Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities 44th Christmas Market 2017

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Nativity Experience, 18th and 19th November

By Leave a Comment

When did you last experience the Christmas Nativity story?  No, not hear the story, experience it.

We’re probably all familiar with the story: Mary and Joseph, Donkeys, Bethlehem, “no room at the inn”, manger, shepherds, angels, and all.  But what does it all mean and – more pertinently – why is it still important and relevant 2000 years later?

This year, Eastleigh Baptist Church will be seeking to answer this question with the Nativity Experience on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th November – planned to coincide with and complement the Christmas light switch-on in the town centre. [Read more…] about The Nativity Experience, 18th and 19th November

Tags: , , , ,

How Do You Celebrate Christmas? My Christmas in Chandler’s Ford

By 5 Comments

In the past few days I have been walking up and down a few roads (Hursley Road, Winchester Road, Hiltingbury Road, Brownhill Road…), and have noticed quite a few inflatable snowman, reindeer, an amusing upside-down Santa near the chimney, and quite a lot of flashing lights in the walls in our neighbourhood.

For those who are cynical about the trend of Christmas festive decorations, or if you are worry about your road / street has become ‘common’, please just remember that festive decoration is fun. People are happy; their kids are happy; their grandchildren are happy. So, just chillax. [Read more…] about How Do You Celebrate Christmas? My Christmas in Chandler’s Ford

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What I Like (and Dislike) about Christmas

By 5 Comments

I love Christmas, most of it anyway. I would love to see more goodwill being shown by the Christmas shopping crowds as we all try to buy presents and so on but that’s another story.

Being a Christian, the Christmas story and services have special resonance of course, though I know all would welcome the idea of goodwill to all men being practised by ourselves at all times of year (despite mankind failing on this count miserably so often, just look at the news for the proof, but the goodwill idea is a sound one and we shouldn’t give up on it. I don’t think it’s been given a long enough trial period!). [Read more…] about What I Like (and Dislike) about Christmas

Tags: , , , , , ,

Christmas Gathering at Beacon Café, St. Boniface Church 2016

By Leave a Comment

On Tuesday morning, I went to the Beacon Café at St. Boniface Church on Hursley Road for some refreshment (ok, plus more than one piece of home-made cake).

I got there just after 11am, and saw people were happily solving Christmas quizzes, which involved identifying some very old (at least to me) British TV sitcoms. From the participants’ enthusiastic discussions and laughter, I could tell they knew most of the answers while reminiscing the good old days. [Read more…] about Christmas Gathering at Beacon Café, St. Boniface Church 2016

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Christmas Books and Local Settings

By Leave a Comment

Once upon a time almost every child found an annual under the tree or in their stocking and I have one given to me when I was about seven – The Christmas Stocking.

We carried on this tradition with our children who always opened their annuals at bedtime on Christmas Eve so they had something to keep them happy until morning. I always hoped they’d lie in bed and read instead of getting up at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning, but it didn’t work!
[Read more…] about Christmas Books and Local Settings

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Thornden Community Wind Band Christmas Concert

By 5 Comments

“It’s beginning  to feel a lot like Christmas” – well, it certainly is for the 380 people who went to “A Swing-Along Christmas” concert presented by the Thornden Community Wind Band with their special guests The Spitfire Sisters on Friday evening. This was a wonderful concert and a fine introduction to the week before Christmas.
[Read more…] about Thornden Community Wind Band Christmas Concert

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Eastleigh Lions: Santa’s Grotto at Brambridge Garden Centre 2016

By Leave a Comment

Was there really a Lion in Santa’s Grotto?

It was very appropriate that on the first ever ‘Local Charities day’, Lions Club of Eastleigh were able to greet Santa at Brambridge Garden Centre. [Read more…] about Eastleigh Lions: Santa’s Grotto at Brambridge Garden Centre 2016

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Otterbourne Mummers: Traditional Mummers Play in Otterbourne, Christmas 2016

By 2 Comments

Yesterday, we went to see the Mummers street play in Otterbourne, Hampshire.

It is a very old and traditional folk play and depicts King George slaying the dragon, Turkish knights and other adversaries. It was good fun to watch and the costumes were very colourful. [Read more…] about Otterbourne Mummers: Traditional Mummers Play in Otterbourne, Christmas 2016

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Christmas News: Eastleigh Rotary Club with Trigger the Train in Chandler’s Ford

By 1 Comment

While I was concentrating on some very important piece of academic writing this evening, a tweet by Sonja Davison came through.

Sonja told me: “John & I helping with Eastleigh Rotary Christmas collection in Chandler’s Ford with Trigger the Train.” [Read more…] about Christmas News: Eastleigh Rotary Club with Trigger the Train in Chandler’s Ford

Tags: , , , , , , ,