Dear <<First Name>>
I'm wishing everyone within the u3a movement a very special day, however you spend it. I've recorded a message for all of you, which you can watch below.
very best wishes
Sam Mauger,
Chief Executive
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Seasonal celebrations in Southport
Southport u3a members began their Christmas celebrations with a u3a Christmas lunch. Southport u3a member Jim says, "There was great music to dance to - and the dance floor was packed for most of the afternoon. Well done to our Events team who put it all together and attended to every detail. It was a terrific afternoon."
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Decking the halls - and trees
During December, many u3as take part in their local Christmas Tree Festivals as an opportunity to raise awareness of their u3a and to showcase the talent of their artistic groups.
Trees decorated by Long Eaton & District u3a and Spire u3a's Craft Group are pictured above.
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Festive Folding
The Origami group at Waltham Forest u3a spent their December meeting creating origami Father Christmases and bows to decorate their homes for the festive season.
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Evesham and District u3a perform on Channel 5
Channel 5 aired a new show, Christmas in the Cotswolds, on Friday 15 December. The programme showcased festive highlights within the area, including Evesham and District u3a's Concert Band performing carols.
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Your Christmas Stories
This is our favourite tree decoration. This is Chrissy, she was bought decades ago at a school Christmas Fair and is so called because our youngest son couldn’t say Christmas tree and could only say Chrissy, and, as with many families, the name stuck.
As the years go by she has lost some of her hair and a shoe. There have been arm and leg replacements, wings glued and trimmed, lace ruff repaired. She finds it difficult to move her head, constantly loses her sequins and her dress is not as pristine as it once was.
But we would not be without her, therefore again this year she will sit proudly on the very top of our tree.
Interest Groups Online member Margaret, who won the Interest Groups Online bauble photography competition.
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Start the day with a Winter Sun Sequence
Our Subject Adviser for Yoga, Patricia, has shared a yoga sequence to start your day off with a moment of calm. The sequence can be done sitting or seated and consists of five poses. Read more on our u3a blog, Sources. |
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A Christmas puzzle for Christmas morning
The Subject Adviser for Maths and Stats, David, has been sharing weekly maths challenges for three years now. Grab a mince pie and put your skills to the test with his festive maths puzzles, below.
Brenda attended five Christmas parties and Chris attended three Christmas parties. Two of these parties were attended by both Brenda and Chris. How many different parties were there?
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Sing along with the Sheffield Carols
Have you ever heard of the Sheffield carols? In the December episode of the u3a radio podcast, Professor Ian Russell talks about the long running Christmas tradition from the towns surrounding Sheffield - and you can hear a snippet of Sheffield Carol singing for yourself in the episode.
Listen now on our website, or on your favourite podcast platforms.
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A Creative Challenge for Christmas
If you would like to spend a portion of today doing something creative, why not write a poem for our poetry competition. The theme is "What If" and the deadline is Friday 26 January 2024. You can enter now on the u3a learning pages.
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Maggie from Stourbridge u3a - known as "Merry Maggie" - during her festive yoga session with u3a members earlier this month. Maggie does monthly online yoga events - if you would like to join her in 2024, book your place on the online events page.
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Why does Santa wear red?
The East Suffolk u3a History for Fun group cover a wide range of historical topics in their sessions. Recently, they discussed how the figure of Santa Claus has developed - and when it was that the figure first came to be associated with his classic red jacket and trousers. Read more on our u3a blog, Sources.
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Thank you for reading
Thank you for spending a small part of your Christmas Day reading this newsletter. We are so glad to have you as part of the u3a Friends community - and wish you a very happy festive season.
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Tony from Chalfonts u3a shared this lovely photo of his dog, Barney, getting into the Christmas spirit. See more photos on the u3a eye page.
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This is an easy way to share the newsletter. Click this link and copy and paste the URL to share on other platforms, including Beacon.
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