As a change from flower festivals, I went to a Christmas Tree Festival this afternoon. I`d heard of them in previous years but not seen one before. I was very impressed. At first glance the church was filled with a mass of twinkling coloured and white lights. Then as I walked round looking at the trees they were all totally different, one was decorated with spectacles, another with tiny dolls in national costumes, another with cassette tapes, a very tall one had all kinds of sweets and knitted liquorice allsorts on its branches. There were teddies on one, hearts on another, newspaper cuttings on another, some had hand-made decorations by children and play groups, these caused a lot of appreciative comments from the visitors….and so it went on. Over 55 of them. I found it a very moving experience to realise that all of them were in support of a different charity or organisation, and to realise too that there were so many “good causes” all in need in the locality and that people had spent so much time in arranging and decorating the trees to support their cause. Their work being recognised and acknowledged by the coins the crowds of adults and children kept dropping into the various collecting tins and boxes.
The most emotional moment to me was the way at the gentle sound of two hand-bells gently rung a couple of times and a lady`s voice, all went completely quiet even though the church was packed with people, as everyone stopped and stood where they were to share in a short time of prayer. I somehow found that a very emotional moment, to think that all of us, strangers to one another stood in prayer together for the work of the church and the various organisations being represented there.
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