Christmas Ghosts: the Tradition of Winter Tales 

We've told supernatural tales at midwinter for a very long time. This talk goes back to the earliest winter tales, comes up through the Victorians revisiting of the tradition, and up to the present day. I adapt this talk to have a focus on your area's own midwinter stories - I've done this talk from the Highlands to Devon, the ghosts are legion!

Mistletoe, Wrens and Mumming

Ever wondered where our Christmas traditions come from? Or how people celebrated Christmas in the past? Joina hunt for Britain's quirkiest Christmas traditions, and discover the secrets of some of the things we take for granted at Christmastide. From hunting the wren to kissing under the mistletoe, and from eating a mince pie a day to ensuring the house was clean to keep out the fairies, find out about the Christmas season from Advent to Candlemas.

An Arts and Crafts Christmas

Gloucestershire was at the heart of the Arts and Crafts Movement, with many artists, architects and craftspeople settling in the area for life. Discover how they spent their Christmases, the carols they sang, and the art they produced as personal gifts for each other - as well as exploring Christmas-based art we can all visit in our churches.

'A Fine Old Christmas': Christmas art in the 19th and early 20th centuries

What did Christmas look like in 19th and early 20th century art? This new talk explores the art of Christmas in European art and design from the romanticism of the late Pre-Raphaelites, the nostalgia of commercial designs for cards and Christmas books, and an increasing realism in the newer art styles at the turn of the century - and we'll look, too, at the cards and greetings artists and designers sent each other.

Out with the Old and In with the New!

From New Year's Day to Christmastide, over the course of the year we observe many festivals and traditions that ease us through each season, many of which related to the farming year and nature around us. Join writer, storyteller and speaker Kirsty Hartsiotis on a journey from Plough Monday, through the equinoxes and the solstices, to harvest and beyond into winter, exploring our folklore and folk tales of the year's turning - a perfect seasonal talk if your group doesn't meet in December!