Santa’s Float Dec 2011

January 7th, 2012

Written by Clare

Well, what a way to end 2011! In early December we held our annual “Mulled Wine & Mince Pies” evening which was a great success. Then the week before Christmas, we were fortunate to be invited out with our partner organisation St Albans Round Table to take their Santa’s Sleigh around the Oakwood area of St Albans. This route has been going for many years and Ladies Circle has been collecting along the route for the past five years. Although the last couple of years we have been hampered by the snow, this year we were snow free and so we were able to almost get around the whole route.

We started off in Long Acres, donned our santa capes and hats, received our collecting tins and off we went, singing along to the Christmas carols as we literally ran from house to house. Yes, ran! Santa has to get round everyone very quickly and so the float actually sets a very brisk walking/jogging pace which you have to keep up with. The idea is that Santa travels along the whole route, sitting on his sleigh and waving to everyone whilst his “elves” go from house to house collecting money for the local community. We visited the houses in the local areas of Longacres and then headed over to the Oakwood estate to continue Santa’s travels. As we haven’t been able to get round all of the route during the last couple of years, there were a few perplexed faces peering out from behind their curtains, but luckily most of the locals were expecting us and were waiting coins or notes in hand to kindly donate to charities in the local area. Charity begins at home as they say and so it is particularly lovely that all money collected through the Santa’s float in the St Albans area goes directly back into the community and to charities making a difference in the lives of those living in the local area. Our own local charity changes each year, and so this year we were collecting money predominantly for our chosen charity ReachOut Plus, but a percentage of the monies from the Oakwood route was shared amongst other local charities also.

We continued on our route through Oakwood and over to Marshalswick and had almost finished the route when calamity arose. Our Sleigh (Milk Float) ran out of battery! – I bet that doesn’t happen to the real Santa!

Unable to get up the final hill, we had to push our float back on to a flat road. Imagine the sight – ten “elves” pushing Santa’s float up the hill so that Santa could come and be rescued by a knight in shining……red and go off back to his holding pen..errm Lapland.

So that brought a rather abrupt end to our altogether lovely evening. After we abandoned the sleigh, it was left to Santa’s elves to de-cloak, de-hat and go to the nearest pub to get warm, count our monies and have a much needed beverage.

I have thoroughly enjoyed doing the Santa’s float every Christmas since I joined circle and this year was no exception. It is so lovely to see the children’s faces peering out of the window or coming out in their pyjamas and dressing gowns to see Santa. There were some lovely stories from the houses that we visited along the route. A mother of children in their now late teens told me how they had waited up late every Christmas since they were very young children to see Santa come past their window and that it signalled the start of their Christmas. Another lady told me how she and her husband had used to do the Santa’s float many years ago.  At one house, where there were three generations of the same family, the grandmother told me how her daughter had used to wait up for Santa, and now her grandchildren were doing the same. It truly was a lovely evening – definitely enough to warm your insides and fill you with a sense of Christmas spirit. Of all the fundraising events we do throughout the year, this is definitely my personal favourite!

Thanks to all Ladies Circle members and alumni who braved the cold to walk the route. Thanks to all residents who donated so generously on the Oakwood route and through the St Albans Santa’s Float season and thanks to the local pub for hosting us and being so accommodating. We are looking forward to our next Santa’s Float visit in 2012!

Now we are moving forward into 2012, a new year and a new series of events to look forward to. Our next event (a cookery demonstration) will be held on the 11th on January.

If you are female, aged 18 to 45, living in St Albans or the surrounding areas, and are looking to meet new people, attend fun events and indulge in some fundraising along the way, then please visit the St Albans Ladies Circle website for details.