Hook Christmas Cracker

Tonight I attended the Hook Christmas Cracker! It's a community event with rides for the kids like you'd find at a fair, booths selling things like cheese and fudge, cotton candy and balloons all over the place, some shops put out snacks, and there are choirs, dancers and magicians performing in the central area. It's a small village so you could easily walk from one end of the festivities to the other in less than 10 minutes. We watched a school choir sing for a while and out of five songs, only one was about Santa, the rest were about Jesus. I think pretty much every resident was there - crowds of kids and families with some seniors mixed in.

Ann and I walked in and wandered around for about an hour. I succumbed to the temptation and bought four kinds of fudge - lemon, because I was curious; chocolate, because I had to have a classic; mocha, because it's the only yummy way to consume coffee; and maple, for a little taste of home.

Lights on one of the rides.

The police station had a little room they had set up as Santa's Grotto. Santa seems to always be tucked away in a cave of sorts over here - some place with lots of presents and Christmas lights and a tree but hidden away from passersby. Back home, Santa is usually out in a big sleigh or he sits on a huge throne so it's different to not see Santa having his photo taken with kids when I'm walking through the mall.

Outside the police station there was the saddest Santa Claus I've ever seen. With all the retired men in town, they had to resort to a mannequin? So sad... and funny. It was a cold night and I burst out laughing when a woman near us said mournfully, "Aw, Santa is frozen."

Merry Christmas...?

A close-up of the face, so you can get the full impact.

I've never seen a booth like this back home!
Made me wish I wasn't allergic to them.

Me and Ann bundled against the cold.