Organizing the Christmas Post

 

A great tradition has returned in a good number of Scout Groups this year as we, with care, emerge out of the Covid era with all its restrictions on what we could do especially at this time of year.

Running a Santa post in your area where christmas cards would be collected and distibuted using your whole membership colonies of beavers, packs of Cubs and so on for a fee was a common way of both raising awareness of scouting and also of fundraising .

Here Scouts in Arbroath, Scotland are pictured with their collection boxes and storage systems to do the job most efficiently.

Fresh posts on this blog should pause on Monday as we move towards Christmas Day and resume around Boxing Day as we exit the year that was twenty twenty-two.

A date with Mr. Claus

 

Fun for cubs when Santa puts an appearence in at a special get together with lots of santa hats and maybe a sing-song too.

When you're this old the rituals of Christmas, passed from generation to generation are things you really look forward to being almost magical and this is much true in cubs as it is at school and home.

It's everything.

Santa arrives!

 It's a pretty cold weekend here needing me to be well wrapped up with tempertures well below freezing ready for a long established childhood ritual that's a part of the countdown for Christmas.

In many communities one S. Claus makes appearences, often posing the question just how come he can do it as you see him in different places on the same day!

It's a magical ability he has.

Here he was spotted out doing a thing I was brought up, raising funds for the local scout group, with the Explorers at the front ringing the bells to announce his presence apart from a loud sound system.

The explorers were followed by scouts, cubs and beavers with helpers clearing enjoying themselves as we all waved.

For me Santa makes christmas so time outdoors, very well wrapped up is well worth it beyond ones donation to our group.

Christmas camp

We may be in the build up to a very busy and exciting time but that doesn't mean things in Scouting are winding down.

It's not unknown for a scout group to run a Christmas themed camp for Cubs where there would be a mixture of of out of doors activities such as competitions and sports activity apart from the amazing cooking by camp fire.

Somehow that from the earliest years makes a big impression on you and it never goes away.

In addition arts and crafts with a christmas theme may be run such as making your very own christmas cards, decorations and yes, a christmas stocking.

You can't beat a well run camp!

Post 800 - What this blog is all about

Today, resisting my tendency to hyphenate that first word, is a special day in the history of this blog because it is the day we mark its eight hundreth post in just over five years of existance.

Its history goes back to my earliest days on Tumblr with people sadly no longer on there and battles fought and lost over accounts before totally breaking free some two and a quarter years ago.

It's really about three things that intersect with each other, one being scouting in all is forms in the past, often as I and no doubt others recall it.

That was a start point to the original tumblr form of which, thank heavens, posts were stored here for safe keeping and often expanded upon, looking at old programs, units, publications and yes, the uniforms!

Then there's scouting related activity by me, exploring places, meeting people very much in the spirit of a cub, learning and learning about new things as very much a "forever boy" informed by the past, going forward with the modern world.

And finally, as news presenters are want to say, it's about modern scouting, the sections of modern scouts, the activities and events they run today, the things I help raise funds for to aid modern day scouts in the official movement and discussion of some the issues that pertain to it.

It's all here because SCOUTS MATTER.

It's here because IT'S THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE IN MY LIFE

It's here because IT'S YOU

It's here because LIFE'S AN ADVENTURE and YOU CAN JOIN IT

Advent in scouts

 Today, I'm doing something a little different  from the past here.

Different scouts organizations around the World do things differently when it comes to things the celebrate and also how they go about fund raising.

In Finland, a part of Europe collectively termed Scandinavia, Scouts and Guides publish an advent calendar which they sell typically in malls or on high streets from late November to today.

This years design shows an idylic lapland Christmas with reindeer, bears, snow and a christmas tree.

Often the spouse of a Finnish President is presented with it.

Generally most of the funds help found the programs run by Scouts and Guides in the country.

In this country depending on the age groups, they may look at the Christmas story and make christmas arts and crafts or take part in community carolling.

Time for a pause

 Not been the best week for medium to longish hikes with fog, rain and lowish temperatures here but taking a breather, having a warm drink and cake has its appeals trust me.

At appears on of the Explorer Scouts is straightening his neckerchief, starting with the time honoured way of folding it before reapplying it around your neck and pushing it through the woggle.

I've been a bit busy doing things for Dad as he's been a bit unwell with a virus but he's on the mend now thankfully.