By Heidi Trautmann
Santa Claus has some fine helpers around the island, I have seen them working for Christmas already. Cutting, sawing, sewing, painting all sort of things they thought people would like to buy for Xmas.
In a short while I will see them walking in the hills collecting branches from trees and bushes to use them for the advent wreaths. And I know of ladies who are known to make the best mince and other pies, they are now getting their recipes out of the drawers.
It is a lot of work for the organisers to set up such an event, especially when it is all for charity, you depend on coworkers, on enthusiastic people who give their time to do all the preparations, or to be in the organizing team, which means looking for a suitable place every year, setting up individual teams for all sorts of jobs, for advertising, planning the spaces, getting donations for the raffle, setting that up.
For charity associations it means sorting the material which has come in over the year to offer them on special tables such as for books and 2nd hand clothes.
Every year the organizers think of something special to get the attention of the citizens, to make families and children come and be together, listen to Christmas songs and have some mince pies and mulled wine (at 11 in the morning!), talk to each other and perhaps buy something nice for the families back home. The stall owners usually dress up and thus you will find yourself enface with many Santas, and many Christkindls of all ages.
Dec 1: Kyrenia Animal Rescue (KAR) Christmas Market at the Teachers’ Hotel in Kyrenia
Starting at 10.00 hrs.
Dec 1: Christmas Market organised by the Cypriot-German Cultural Association at the Goethe Institut (near old Ledra Palace) in the Buffer Zone in Nicosia. Try freshly made waffles and Glühwein and German cookies starting at 16:00 until 20:00 hrs..
Dec 8: NCCCT Xmas Market at the Pia Bella Hotel in Kyrenia starting at 11:00 hrs