Amazing night inside and outside of St Ninians Church tonight. Sadly the trees were only to be there for tonight - a pity they could have been a massive attraction all next week and beyond. Big thanks to all who worked so hard to make this show possible.
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Lights switch on ceremony by provost and lights go on 200yds down the road,hardly a spectacular
ReplyDeletere choir, will ask about that John.
ReplyDeleteChristmas celebrations on Black Friday, brilliant, whatever happened to the 12 days of Christmas? Maybe we'll get that next month when it is actually Christmas. Lets celebrate blatant consumerism which is what it's become for many folk as they flash the plastic and buy crap they don't need. Well done one and all, hope Santa brings you a nice credit card statement in January
ReplyDeleteMy wee boy said 'wheres the bear'
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a bit flat this year, Nairn's very own 'Magical Journey'?
I know it's free so shouldn't complain and my thanks still goes to all those that put it on
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11256228/The-Magical-Journey-reopens-Laurence-Llewelyn-Bowens-Christmas-wonderland-still-shoddy.html
Bit sad that all the Christmas trees were going to be taken away that night, seems like a lot of work, expense and effort for one evenings entertainment. Not even Christmas yet, hope good homes were found for them
ReplyDeleteMind you when I see all the Christmas trees being produced around Nairn on good agricultural land it seems an awful waste when so many folk go hungry
Seems to me that Christmas now means Creditcardmas and has little to do with its Christian origins
ReplyDeleteHere we have a church where folk might once have sung carols and said prayers being offered as an exhibition space for the new symbol of Christmas, not Christ but a tree
At one time even if you didn’t attend church you at least showed reverence for the building but it seems now that they are little more than public halls, or worse derelict buildings
I don’t have a problem with people wanting to celebrate consumerism, as that’s what Christmas has become for many in the UK along with a two-week holiday. But please don’t complain about the lack of decorations in our town or the fact that the council does not cover trees in baubles.
We have more important matters to spend scant resources on and might I suggest if you want a Christmas past you spend your own money to create it
I know there is a lot of flack elsewhere regarding the Christmas trees at the bank and Castle Lane and in some ways I agree with much that is being said. It was highlighted last year to local Councillors and Community Councils that there were many complaints about the lack of decorations and the bareness of the trees and give them their due, Nairn River Community Council provided some funding for some temporary decorations. Part of the problem could be that in the recent past the trees had coloured bulbs but last year, and this, the lights are all the same colour which makes the display very monotone. With the coloured lights on the tree, even in daylight, it seemed more 'decorated'.
ReplyDeleteA group of well meaning people was set up to address some of the issues and, although they instigated the tree festival they seem to have either forgotten about the original complaints or missed the point completely and, once again, deja vu strikes.
This has been a missed opportunity which could so easily have been resolved. There is still time for Santa's little helpers to spread a wee bit of magic.
Was this the event that Cllr Michael Green publicised months ago on the Gurn as the greatest thing since sliced bread but couldn't tell us what it was going to be?
ReplyDeleteI hadn't a clue what some of the photos were of projected on the church, was it his collection?
By all means celebrate Christmas but trees?!
Stick with the inflatable beer tent, at least it gave us all a laugh and a drink :-)
Perhaps it is time for anyone with complaints, constructive criticisms of the Christmas lights ceremony etc to come up with suggestions of how it could be done better and how they could help.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened on Friday night was mainly done by volunteers and in a time of continuing cuts too. If the community wants to make this more of an event next time round then there will need to be more involvement. In years to come the local authority input will probably disappear.
Graisg, maybe nobody listened or consulted with the people who complained last year, were any of them asked to be involved in the group?
ReplyDeleteAt the very least perhaps they could turn the tree lights on during the day to brighten them up.
ReplyDelete@Graisg 1.33pm
ReplyDeleteWell said...."Perhaps it is time for anyone with complaints, constructive criticisms of the Christmas lights ceremony etc to come up with suggestions of how it could be done better and how they could help.
What happened on Friday night was mainly done by volunteers and in a time of continuing cuts too."
It is depressing that so many of the comments are negative. Complaints about the lack, or wrong colour, of lights. Objections to Christmas trees because local fields could be growing food crops. Criticism of consumerism. Comments that churches shouldn't be open for public events (other than religious ceremonies). Calls for a beer tent instead (!).
A lot of volunteers put time and effort into organising the event. I suspect the same people who complain about it would have complained even more if there had been no ceremony and no lights.
So Nairn - stop biting the hands that feed you and be a bit more positive. Isn't that what the season of goodwill is supposed to be about?
@ Spirit of Christmas
ReplyDeleteYou seem to forget that many folk find the whole Christmas and New Year period a depressing time, especially the elderly and those who are on their own
There are others through religious of other grounds who do not celebrate Christmas and object to the whole celebration being forced upon them. In the 2011 census only 52% of Scots said they were Christian.
Personally I find this years tree festival disappointing to say the least as clearly so much time and effort was made by volunteers for an event that lasted for just part of one evening
Maybe it would have been more appropriate for the lights to be switched on and then a festival of carols to have been held in the church, but perhaps as others have said Christmas is more about consumerism than religion these days?
Seems to me that a little bit like our political landscape times have changed. Peoples expectations are somewhat different from that which people in charge of such matters think they are?
ReplyDeleteI suggest next year that instead of having the provost switch on the lights that she/he cuts a ribbon at 8:00am at Sainsbury's to mark that start of Black Friday, and we can all rush inside to grab a Christmas bargain or two
Now this would be much more in keeping with modern day society and baa humbug to all those who want Christmas lights, trees and other such nonsense on the run down High St.
Who knows, we might even have a Lidl on the retail park by then, result
Merry shopping everyone
There have been numerous valiant efforts in recent years to make this a successful event, and we even saw late night shopping one year
ReplyDeleteLike it or not the lights are going out on Nairn High St and no matter what kind of pageant is laid on the ghost of High St past will pretty much be all that's left soon plus the odd dimly lit Christmas tree
What a miserable bunch. Cheers up its nearly Christmas!
ReplyDeleteI read on a Nairn Facebook page that unless we have proper decorations up in the town visitors won't be attracted to visit here
ReplyDeleteI wonder if anyone could name say six shops that might make visitors from Inverness come through for their Christmas shopping?
Ironically our High Street looks healthier than some spots in Inverness just now - perhaps people might want to come and escape all the pawnshops, cash converters, sell your gold type shops in the city centre? Nairn High Street isn't perfect but I perfer it to the feel of parts of Inverness city centre.
ReplyDeleteWhere I grew up we had a carnival day. (band processions and sporting events so not unlike a highland games but the games were more for kids and there were floats and queens etc. as well). Anyway.. one thing we did do was a best dressed shop, best dressed lamppost, best dressed garden etc. It meant the carnival was on every street and shops and people got winners rosettes. Seen as money will get squeezed perhaps something like that to encourage shop owners and locals could be a way to go. You don't need Christmas trees if every shop window looks like a nativity scene (or more likely a scene from Frozen with the characters wearing whatever the shop sells). Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteBut most folk shop in the Eastgate centres or the retail parks in Inverness, surely a major reason as to why their High St is in such a bad way?
ReplyDeleteBut never mind, here in Nairn we have our very own growing retail park, and a high street is a very downward spiral
I really would find it hard to name one High St shop that might tempt someone from Inverness to Nairn to do their Christmas shopping, or any shopping for that matter
Got a £200 bargain on Black Friday, had to punch a few people though. Will open the box soon and see what it is.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of stuff on FB about decorations like tinsel and baubles for the trees but I think it's been a long time since the trees had anything but lights on them. Maybe the folk are all harking back to their child hoods or maybe some of them don't notice what goes on most of the time. Do agree that the trees could do with some coloured lights and be on during the day, especially on a very dull day like today.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I am being nostalgic about the Christmas trees we had in Nairn years ago but I still think the council could make more effort to brighton up the place
ReplyDeleteCouncillor Green trys very hard for the town. He runs lines around other councillors and is always willing to try something new. He always trys to get business people on board as well such as the barbeque run by the classroom last Friday night
So lets try and keep Nairn bright and cheery this Christmas
If Cllrs Green, Fraser, McDonald or Macauly are reading this can they not do something about the trees? At least get the lights switched on during the day!
ReplyDelete