WebNovDec18

www.westendermagazine.com | 25
Endmum’s
West
notebook
by Michele Gordon thelanguagehub.co.uk
As many of you know, Christmas is my
favourite holiday of the year: the
excitement of things to come,
the lights and decorations, the smell of
Christmassy things, to see the children
bursting with anticipation for days on end
and to have a little extra time to do things as
a family – all this makes me smile and look
forward to December.
I admit, it can be a very stressful time, but
I say it’s all a matter of planning. I am part
German after all! I try to buy presents well in
advance, have a list of food and drink I need
to buy and reduce the amount of Christmas
cards I post. This way, I try to make ensure
that we actually enjoy advent too, not just
Christmas Day.
At The Hub, we will be celebrating the
first of advent (2nd December, 2 – 4pm) with
an event for everyone. There will be singing,
arts and crafts and lots of yummies to eat.
Two weeks later on the 15th December we
will be holding our Christmas party at Partick
Burgh Halls from 2 – 4pm. All our students
get the chance to present a little something
in another language to the audience (if they
want).
But there are plenty of other events for
families to choose from in the West End,
starting at the end of November. Join one of
the many Christmas lights switch on events
in and around Glasgow. The one on Byres
Road will be on the 25th of November on
Vinicombe Street. Then, on the following
weekend, 1st and 2nd of December, the
Riverside Museum will be hosting its
Christmas Festival with a Santa bungee
event for charity. The festival is free to attend
between 11am – 5pm on both days.
Or maybe you prefer to go to the Scottish
Mask and Puppet Centre (8-10 Balcarres
Avenue). On the 1st of December at 12pm
they will be showing ‘The Snow Child’, £5.95/
ticket but there are also Christmas themed
shows scheduled on the 8th, 15th and 21st
of December. And if, by the 8th of December,
you are still in need of some gifts visit the
Tea Green Festive Market at the Botanic
Gardens between 10am – 4pm which
promises to ‘showcase the best of Scotland’s
Independent creative talent’.
For those who are looking for Christmassy
music a little earlier in December, check out
this year’s Christmas Carols at Wellington
Church (77 Southpark Avenue) on the 13th of
December at 7.30pm, £10/ticket.
On the 21st, we will be taking the kids to
Websters Theatre to see this year’s panto
‘About Britney and the Beast’. We have been
going here for a few years now and really love
the shows. The panto will run from 1st Dec
2018 to 5th Jan 2019, if you’re lucky, grab a
table and have a bite to eat before the show.
However, you can also just buy drinks at the
bar and take them in to the theatre with you.
I’m not sure if we’ll manage any of the
Christmas Markets this year, I’m personally
not keen on masses of people in the city
centre. I’m still hoping that one year there
will be a small, cosy market on Mansfield
Park. Christmas Markets are great for getting
you into the mood however: lovely smells,
Christmas music, mulled wine and lovely gift
buying opportunities.
This year, we will be spending the festive
period with my entire family – the first time
ever since I met John and had two children.
I’m looking forward to it and hope you all
have a lovely time with friends and family too.
Frohe Weihnachten und einen guten Start ins
neue Jahr!