Christmas is coming

Those sleigh bells are ringing all over the place, and much festive fun is being had in Brighton and Hove, Bridlington and Leeds – among many other places this year.

The Beyond group in Sussex, offering opportunities to explore spirituality through a variety of creative activities, is reviving its hugely popular Advent Beach Hut Calendar which made its debut in 2008. Each night a different hut opens its doors to reveal the owner's interpretation of a favourite Christmas carol. Hundreds of mince pies and glasses of mulled wine ensure continue seasonal cheer for visitors who flock to the Sussex seafront to share in the celebration. The Independent is following the story day by day, and you can also follow the event on Twitter @BeachHutAdvent.

This year, the Beach Hut idea has been taken up by Bridlington, with Pioneer Minister Ben Norton using one beach hut and 24 different local community groups and individuals to tell the Good News of Christmas. Those taking part include local school choirs, music groups, actors, a local tattoo artist, brass bands, and puppeteers. The hut is on south shore promenade next to the tourist information office. The project has been supported by the East Riding Council, St Max Church, Emmanuel Church, Innova8.com, Bridlington Town Council, and local schools and businesses.

Revd Matt Ward of Leeds University’s Emmanuel Café Church has also been in festive frame of mind, and prepared a Christmas Day sermon to send to Café Church student regulars by text. "Café Church runs in 10-week bursts during uni terms so we always miss the major festivals," says Matt. "That's a bit of a challenge for a church community but there are still ways to celebrate 'together', even when we're not in the same place at the same time. I thought a Christmas Day message would be one way of doing it, but what you can say about the Incarnation of Jesus within the limits of text?! I haven't attempted it yet in Twitter's 140 characters. That really would be a challenge." To find out what Matt's Christmas morning message is to be, see our Christmas text media release.