Get into the Christmas spirit in Lurgan

With a full programme of activities throughout the month at various council facilities there is plenty to keep you and your little elves entertained in the run up to Christmas.

Don’t miss Santa at his Grotto, the Tannaghmore Farm Live Nativity or ‘A Dickens of a Christmas’ to experience a good old-fashioned Christmas!

Santa Claus will arrive at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre this Saturday, December 1.

Santa’s spectacular Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-themed Grotto will be open for business from 11am to 4pm over the first three weekends in December with a cost of £6 per child.

There will be a variety of activities on offer such as arts and crafts, face painting and special offers in the café including a special Christmas menu.

Every child will receive a present from Santa – reveal a golden ticket hidden inside special bars of chocolate to win some fabulous prizes!

A photographer will not be available at the grotto so please feel free to bring your camera to capture all those memories. Booking is not essential for this event but should you wish to book a place please contact Lough Neagh Discovery Centre on 38 322205.

Christmas would not be complete without a nativity, and there is none quite like the Tannaghmore Farm Live Nativity at Tannaghmore Gardens.

The live manger will be on show from 10am to 4pm every day from Saturday, December 1, until Christmas Eve.

Find Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the Three Kings in a remake of the stable scene complete with donkey, sheep, cows and other animals.

Featured are Galway sheep, Irish Moiled cattle, pygmy goats and a Shetland pony foal in this heart-warming nativity display in a converted outhouse on the Farm. It really is a must see and will certainly get you into the Christmas spirit. For more information please contact 028 3831 3244.

Have ‘A Dickens of a Christmas’ at Waterside House Museum, Oxford Island this Saturday, December 1, and experience the spirit of a good old-fashioned Christmas.

Enjoy a morning of Christmas cheer creating your own traditional decorations and Christmas cards while learning about the origins of Christmas traditions. The event, from 10am to 1pm, costs £3 per head. To book your place contact the Museum on 028 3834 1635.

Be creative with two fantastic Christmas workshops and enjoy learning the art of making Christmas decorations and wreaths.

The first takes place on Saturday, December 8, at Lurgan Park from 2pm to 4pm. Children from eight years and over can make their own Christmas decorations from straw using an old Irish traditional method. The workshop is free and all materials will be provided.

The creative theme continues at Tannaghmore Gardens on Saturday, December 15, with a Christmas wreath making workshop from 2pm to 4pm in the small hall.

This family orientated workshop costs £5 per wreath with all materials provided.

Booking is essential for both these workshops. To secure a place contact 3832 3795.