Every year at the beginning of December, a grand evening is held here in Sedbergh, Cumbria for the official launch of Christmas season, and last night was THE night!  All the shops stayed open till 8:00pm or later serving mulled wine, mince pies, sweets and chocolates, many offering discounts to encourage us all to do our Christmas shopping….

At 6:00pm the church bells started ringing and Father Christmas came along Sedbergh Main Street in the Sedbergh Fire Engine, preceded by the Town Crier ringing his bell, then the Sedbergh Gala Queen switched on the Christmas lights, and the evening was well and truly launched!

Sedbergh Church is hosting a flower festival all week with displays from all the main organizations in the town and surrounding villages, and there was an organ recital, carol singers, a one-woman-band, the town band, bagpipe band, a climbing wall for children, and more besides. Everyone was there, shopping, eating, drinking and enjoying themselves.  The temperatures were below freezing but with all that mulled wine, well everyone was all warmed up, me too ~ there was even Howgill Fells ice-cream on sale, I recommend ginger and lime for a freezing cold night!

A wonderfully English event.  By now I’m more used to life in Taiwan, where it would be unthinkable for any shop NOT to be open in the evenings ~ closing even at 8:00pm is way too early. Which is why Taiwanese who’ve been to the UK always ask me what English people do in the evenings.  Ha ha, I wonder that sometimes too, but now at least I know what the whole town of Sedbergh was up to last night!