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CHRISTMAS 2011: KEY EVENTS Lauren Mayberry rounds up of some of the best festive happenings in town

SHOPPING

T o find prezzies with an individual feel or just some tasty treats, head out to a Christmas fair near you. In Glasgow, there’s the St Enoch Square annual market (from 20 Nov) and C o u n t r y L i v i n g M a g a z i n e ’s C h r i s t m a s F a i r, with homemade food and drink from 200 exhibitors (SECC, 17–20 Nov, 10am, £9.50). Queen’s Park Church will have stalls and a festive tearoom at its community fair (26 Nov, 11.30am, 50p) whilst the nearby Church on the Hill offers a Wi n t e r Wi n e F a i r in December (4 Dec, 2pm, £10).

Edinburgh will have its traditional German Christmas Market at the Mound Precinct (24 Nov–24 Dec). Castle Street hosts the Real Scottish Christmas Fair (3 Dec–8 Dec), and plugs fairtrade foods at the Ethical Christmas Fair (10 Dec–18 Dec). The Highland Village Christmas Market starts in East Princes Street Gardens on 24 Nov (until 4 Jan) and there’s also Christmas shopping fairs at St Columba’s-by-the- Castle (26 Nov & 10 Dec, 10am), with Scottish designers showing off the best of their homewares. Noir! (10 Dec, 11am, £4–£5) is a stylish shopping fair at Summerhall showcasing budding and established designer fashion, plus spoken word, films, nibbles and art installations.

MAKING The Royal Botanic Garden will be offering workshops on making Christmas wreaths and

table decorations from conifers, holly, berries and moss that you could find in your own garden (26 Nov, 3.30pm, £36–£40). You can also learn to make New England Cranberry and embellished fabric and fruit wreaths at Lauriston Castle (14 & 15 Dec, 10.30am, £18). Malmaison’s Christmas Art & Crafts Fayre (Edinburgh, 4 Dec, free, 12pm) will also have demonstrations and food-tasting sessions.

Glasgow offers The Great Christmas Puppet Making Workshops at the Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre (17–18 Dec, times vary, £6.95) and there are crafty workshops available at The Country Living Magazine Christmas Fair (see Shopping).

GIVING The Great Edinburgh Santa Run (11 Dec, 9am, £7.50–£12.50) will begin in West Princes Street Gardens (thesantarun.org.uk), with Glasgow’s charity Santa Dash at St Enoch Centre on the same day. Yorkhill Children’s Foundation Christmas Concert (Glasgow City Chambers, 2 Dec, 7.30pm, £5–£10) is now in its tenth year, offering music and dance entertainment to raise funds for the kids’ charity. Edinburgh Christmas Walk (Royal Botanic Garden, 4 Dec, £12, 11am) is a six- mile walk for charities, including Action on Hearing Loss, Scottish SPCA and Save the Children, whilst the Dogs Trust Glasgow Christmas Fair (Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre, Uddingston, 27 Nov, 12pm) is taking donations to help dogs in their care.

PLAYING Carousel lovers should head for the fairground rides available at Glasgow’s George Square (from 20 Nov) and Edinburgh’s East Princes St Gardens (from 24 Nov).

For music, there is a series of festive concerts at City Halls and Glasgow Royal Concert Halls, from traditional orchestral pieces from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra to Christmas classics (see classical music listings, from page 108). A Victorian Christmas at Platform, Glasgow (3 &10 Dec, 1.30pm, £2.50) offers an hour of traditional carols, plus storytelling and mince pies. In Edinburgh, there are free carol concerts at the Royal Botanic Garden (4 Dec, 1pm & 2.30pm), plus a carol service in Edinburgh Castle’s Great Hall (2 Dec, 1pm, 2pm & 3pm, £8.20–£14). Closer to the big day, the Usher Hall will have Carols by Candelight (20 Dec, 7.30pm, £14.50–£32.50).

ANTI-TRADITION For an alternative to your traditional Christmas tunes, look into Kid Canaveral’s second annual Chrismas Baubles event (Summerhall, Edinburgh, 17 Dec, 2pm, £15), featuring Slow Club, Josie Long, eagleowl and Martin John Henry all making appearances on the all-day show. And for slightly off-the-wall festive banter, check out Heavenly’s ‘Smithsmass’ night in Glasgow (3 Dec, 8pm, £2). There will be guest DJs, uninhibited dancing, garlands of gladioli, a live set from the Hardy Boys and even a Santa Morrissey, and all proceeds will naturally go to animal-loving charity PDSA. 17 Nov–15 Dec 2011 THE LIST 43