All the fun of the school Christmas fair
Speaking of hot cakes, I need an extra table for the rapidly expanding baking area. More specific requests are coming in. I need a stall near a window. I need access to a socket. Can I be next to Aoife? Have I room for a sock-monkey stall? What’s a sock-monkey, I wonder?
FRIDAY
All the tables are coming in from the classrooms and it’s all hands on deck. The cleaners are very busy in the background, making sure St Cronan’s looks its best on Sunday.
Meanwhile, parents and children are busy sorting children’s books, chicklit, crime and cookery.
A classroom is transformed into a coffee shop by another group of parents.
Four Star Pizza (another parent) delivers pizzas for all the workers. Badly needed – it’s 4pm and we still have a grotto to build. Could be a long night.
SATURDAY
After a busy day at the school perfecting stalls and signs and reindeer feeding areas, I took the night off and went to At The Movies at the National Concert Hall. Just wonderful.
SUNDAY
School opens. The artists and crafts people, from Wexford to Donabate, arrive laden with bags and boxes promising all kinds of treasures and delights; knits, jewellery, candles, wood carvings, pearls from China, cosmetics, cushions stuffed with lavender, bunting from England, ceramics from Spain, mobile-phone accessories, cakes and biscuits.
The wine is mulling. Calm before the storm.
The senior boys arrive and start to put their mini-company stall together. They also run the raffle. We usually spot a few entrepreneurs of the future in their midst. I’ve already been told how well I look and of course I walked away with a handful of tickets.
Santa arrives laden with gifts. Alison and Becky are very busy with face painting and being Santa’s helpers.
Our young expert on all things Christmas is sharing his spy theory. He claims that that our Santa will be on Skype to the real one this evening and filling him in on who’s naughty and nice in Bray.
There’s frantic Christmas shopping going on now. Parents, children, aunts, uncles, nanas and granddads are all here. They arrive looking for unusual gifts. Everyone is busy, bags are being filled, tickets are being sold and the school is buzzing.
It’s hard to say yet but I reckon this will be our best year ever. We’ve had a lot of competition from other schools and public markets today but we have held our own and the people keep coming.
The aromas of mulled wine and lavender, candy floss and popcorn waft through the hall. The day flies by.
It’s the perfect start to the Christmas season.
This week I was . . .
Listening to . . .
A CD of St Cronan’s boys singing carols with Ronnie Drew
Watching. . .
Love/Hate , RTÉ. Intense and very compelling
Reading. . .
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
Enjoying . . .
Masterchef Ireland, RTÉ
