Christmas preparation involves at least a bit of work for most of us. But, for some people, there’s a lot more to it than just wrapping presents and buying food and drink for the big day. Here’s a look at what’s some of the people who make our Christmas do to prepare for the big day.
Producing free-range turkeys
Preparing award-winning free-range poultry for Christmas is a family affair for Philip Hunter at Suffolk Turkeys, based at Yew Tree Farm, Fressingfield. Philip’s mum and dad originally set up the business, which he now runs with his wife Debbie. Their three daughters, Hollie, Bell and Lily, are all involved too.
Bronze turkeys are the most popular, but black turkeys are a newer addition, and they also rear white turkeys. Philip said: ‘We’re doing a lot more geese now. They’ve become more popular because they are special – people are looking for something that’s a bit different.’ Large chickens are another option.
The farm is busy all year round with the turkeys. In fact, the summer is one of the busiest times, as the day-old chicks arrive and need caring for. While most of the birds are sold via butchers, many regular customers from the local area come to the farm to pick up their turkey or goose.
Ordering in advance is important to make sure you get the type of bird you want, but there are always late orders, and the team makes sure no one goes away empty-handed.
Philip said he still loves Christmas and enjoys sitting down to his own Christmas dinner. ‘We have 8,000 birds every year, so that is 8,000 families out there who are enjoying them for Christmas dinner, and that makes us feel really special.’
• For more details, visit suffolkturkeys.co.uk
Based in the village of Sternfield, near Saxmundham, Redhouse Christmas Barn is one of the biggest independent suppliers of Christmas trees and luxury decorations in East Anglia. The farm covers 750 acres of land, which is home to more than 100,000 Christmas trees, as well as its Christmas Barn shop,
Redhouse was originally set up by Ian Rix with his wife Caroline. The next generation, their children David, Andrew and Harriet, are now all involved. David, aged 26, said: ‘We are a family business, which was built up by my father and we have been growing the trees since 1995. Some of our customers have been buying them for generations.’
A proud moment for the business came in 2010, when Redhouse won the award for the best homegrown tree in the country, meaning they were selected to supply the Christmas tree at 10 Downing Street. ‘We may have another go in the future,’ David said. Their trees go to many other prestigious locations each year, such as top hotels in London.
New trees are planted each year to replace those cut down, and caring for them is a year-round task, with May to July being especially busy. ‘They take a long time to grow, eight to 10 years,’ David said.
Redhouse’s Christmas Barn shop has more than 10 fully set-up displays of decorations and offers a huge range of festive items. ‘The people who come to our Christmas barn all love Christmas, so generally they are happy people and it’s a great atmosphere,’ he added.
• For more details, visit redhousechristmas.com
The Aleksic Christmas Lights in Ipswich have become an annual tradition for countless families. The family house in Lister Road, just off Norwich Road, lights up between 4pm and 9pm daily all through December, with a spectacular 10-minute lights and music show which raises money for St Elizabeth Hospice. Last year it celebrated its 10th year.
James Aleksic from JLA Sound and Light, who masterminds the event each year, said: ‘The display will be back bigger than ever. I've been buying new lights and listening to Christmas music since early summer, to try to put everything together. It takes a couple of months to put everything up around my schedules working on local theatre productions, and so we have to make a start in October to be ready for the big switch-on at the start of December.’
Last year the lights raised over £1,400 for St. Elizabeth Hospice, the highest amount yet. James said: ‘While we're of course hoping for another record year, we'd be over the moon to raise anything close to that again, and just always take great pride in being able to do our little bit to give back to such an amazing charity.’
• For more details, visit jlasoundandlight.co.uk/xmas
You can learn to make your own festive wreaths at Blackthorpe Barn, with inspiration from tutor Suzy Wright. The next wreath workshops at the thriving centre for art and craft enthusiasts, which is part of the Rougham Estate, are scheduled on December 7. People taking part can spend a relaxing few hours making their own creations from a large choice of dried flowers grown in Suffolk, and it’s likely they will be inspired to go on and make more.
Blackthorpe Barn is famous for its long-running Christmas shop, which celebrated record sales last year, offering thousands of decorations, creative delights, wreaths, and aromatic treasures. The workshops add to the seasonal flavour at Rougham, with Christmas willow weaving being another popular option.
Suzy said it is important for people to take some time for themselves to do things like crafts and discover their talents. ‘What’s really lovely is to see people’s confidence grow. People will sit there and say they don’t know why they are here and they won’t be able to do it, and you can see the joy on their faces when they find they can do it after all.’
She added: “Christmas wreaths are something which never go out of fashion and always have a great appeal.”
As well as running craft workshops, Suzy is a visual merchandiser and buyer for Blackthorpe’s new gift shop, the Garden Room, which was inspired by the success of the Christmas shop, working with joint owners George Agnew and Adrian White.
• For more details, visit roughamestate.com/whats-on/Christmas
As every small child knows, Santa traditionally travels by reindeer-powered sleigh. But sometimes he fancies a change - and each year at Snape Maltings he sails into the quay by barge. As chief operating officer of Britten Pears Arts, Harry Young is involved in organising the whole range of Christmas events at Snape, including the festive barge trip.
“It’s become a real tradition for people who live nearby. I think we had 2,000 people who came to watch last year,” he said. Last year there was a problem when the barge got stuck on mud flats, but Harry said: “Luckily Father Christmas is magic, and he managed to materialise in a different part of the site”. Staff have been studying the tides and believe things will run more smoothly at this year’s free event, scheduled for 12 noon on December 14.
Harry is also involved with arranging the Breakfast with Father Christmas events at Snape, where children take part in festive art activities and have photo opportunities with Santa. “It’s always a joyous scene because it’s personal and engaging, and it’s in a wonderful setting, in the River View Restaurant,” he said.
Harry said a very strong musical programme is planned for the season, including a special Christmas concert with Suffolk’s famous soprano Laura Wright and the final night of folk superstar Kate Rusby’s annual Christmas tour. Another highlight is the annual performances of favourite family film The Snowman in the Concert Hall with live choir and orchestra, which has become a hugely popular Snape tradition. It’s advisable to book events in advance.
“There’s something quite wonderful about Snape at Christmas. There is so much for people to do. Nearly every car you see coming into the car park is full, with the whole family coming here,” Harry added.
• For more details, visit brittenpearsarts.org
Panto season is hugely popular in Suffolk, with a whole selection of professional and amateur productions being performed in the run-up to Christmas and beyond. Stowmarket Operatic and Dramatic Society is busy rehearsing for its latest production, Sleeping Beauty, which will be staged at The Regal in the town on November 30 and December 1 and from December 5 to 8.
Joe Marsh, director of the production, grew up with panto. He said: ‘I've performed in pantos for 15 years since I was nine years old, when I played the Squirrel in Babes in the Wood. That was my first show with S.O.D.S. and I then went on to be in the youth group till I was 18 as I am in a very dramatic family (on and off the stage!)’
He then went to university and studied comedy. Joe said: ‘My favourite part of panto is the chaos. You could go to all 10 shows and they would be completely different. I myself am a massive fan of improv comedy and am the biggest improviser on stage ever, so I think everyone in the cast is taking advantage of the fact I love improv and just trying to make me laugh! Panto for me starts Christmas and gets me in the mood for the best time of year.’
Joe is full of enthusiasm about the latest panto. He said: ‘The cast is fantastic, I couldn't be prouder of them. The show is a twist on the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty and it features awesome songs and amazing dancing along with hilarious characters that I'm sure the audience will fall in love with. I am so excited for everyone to see it.’
• For more details, visit stowmarketoperatic.org.uk
