A Community of Christmas Traditions

Christmas is about family, but to us Brits it’s also about following traditions, like eating sprouts, wearing Christmas jumpers and, of course, listening to Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas non-stop! In addition to these obligatory traditions, the local people in our surrounding areas have their own cool and quirky Christmas customs that take place each year.

A Visit from Santa In the small Roman village of Caerleon, Father Christmas has visited on Christmas Eve for the past 30 years. Organised by local volunteers, each year the children of Caerleon are treated to a visit from Father Christmas and his elves at their home, where he gives them an early Christmas present before telling them to go to bed! The tradition is now being passed on to the children of those who grew up with this special visit. Some families choose to get together in one house for an opportunity to make extra special memories and watch the excitement on their children’s and grandchildren’s faces.

Santa & Elf Dash Thousands of runners will transform themselves into Santa or one of his little eves this December to raise money for Welsh Hearts. The annual event has become a popular tradition amongst businesses and families who enter a team of Santas to walk or run the festive 5k dash. All of the money raised goes toward heart screening in Wales, placing defibrillators in Welsh communities and providing free CPR and defibrillator training.

Pantomime Is there anything more traditional than a pantomime at Christmas? The Riverfront Theatre in Newport has been bringing us a fun family panto since it opened, and it’s become a popular tradition with the local schools and families. This year, funny man Richard Elis is returning with Sleeping Beauty to bring you two hours of singing, dancing and laughter.

Stow Hill Market Following the rise in popularity of street food and local produce throughout South Wales, traders and artisans have been invited to share their treats with the locals at a street food market held in the old Majestic Dance Hall building on Stow Hill. For 8 weeks you will find new faces bringing you the best of the local cuisines and cakes, and not to mention cocktails. Friends, colleagues and families have stepped out in support of their local traders to enjoy the event each weekend.

Christmas in Cwmbran Cwmbran Shopping Centre has everything you need this Christmas, a hosting a wide range of traditions under one roof. Visit Santa, enjoy the Christmas Market, or finish off some last minute shopping every day with free parking. The Christmas events go on until 1st January, so if your Christmas tradition is to hit the Boxing Day sales you can still enjoy their festive activities well into the New Year.

Do you have a Christmas tradition that you share with your friends or family? Perhaps we’ve given you some ideas for a new tradition that you can start this year! While we listen to Mariah for the millionth time we’ll leave you to visit our website Hathways Estate Agents where you’ll find our properties for sale and to let.