Called Comforts and Joys, the festival offers a return to traditional values and the true pleasures of Christmas.
Delights on offer include Pudding Paradise, Santa's Grotto, roasted chestnuts, fortune telling, poetry reading, history walks, Rumpel
stiltskin, gingerbread treats, Shire horse wagon rides, live jazz, model trains display and a joyful sing-song led by a choir seen on the BBC TV show Last Choir Standing.
The seasonal entertainments take place on Saturday December 6 and Sunday December 7.
Diana Kelly, who serves on the organising committee, said, "This will be a marvellous weekend. Almost every trader is helping out with an event or a special offer, and we have so many wonderful things happening that families will find they run out of time before they run out of things to do."
The event replaces the village's Dickensian evening and there will be no road closure this year.
Highlights include:
n An opportunity to meet Santa Claus in his grotto on Saturday from 12noon to 4pm. Alfriston School arranged the special visit by St Nicholas (Santa Claus), and to mark the occasion of his visit has organised a special Christmas fair with stalls featuring a variety of gifts and treats.
n A Christmas café with poetry readings and live music is available on Saturday, staffed by members of St Andrews Church in the morning and the WI in the afternoon. The Christmas café will also include an entranceway garden of live Christmas trees available to buy.
n The Pudding Paradise takes place on Sunday. Village restaurants, tea rooms and food purveyors are each donating a special dessert, creating an opportunity to taste a wonderful variety of sweets at one time. This year's Pudding Paradise is hosted by The Star Inn, from 11am until 4pm.
n A free community sing-song on Sunday afternoon, led by Peter Willson's JMTZ (which featured in BBC television show Last Choir Standing), with a special appearance by Sophie Dann. The sing-song will include seasonal favourites for everyone to sing along, as well as crowd-pleasing performances. And every audience member will be entered to win a hamper boasting a range of New England food and drink, donated by the Much Ado Bookshop.
n The Snow Queen will be adding her special magic to wishes visitors can write on gold stars. Each star wish will be hung on Alfriston's Christmas tree.
n The Alfriston and Cuckmere Valley Historical Society is arranging a display about Winston Churchill and the village, at The Wingrove House. The society is also arranging local history walks on both days of the event.
n Save Alfriston for Everyone (SAFE), a traffic campaign, will sponsor rides on a Shire horse-drawn cart.
n The Clergy House, a National Trust property, is hosting a craft day on Saturday, featuring displays of wreath and corn dolly making. On Sunday, the Clergy House is hosting a Dickensian story teller.
n Alfriston's pre-school is arranging a busy hands day Sunday for small children, with refreshments being served to benefit the ARC.
n The Samaritans will be offering to wrap presents.
Details about the weekend and the many events being held by traders can be viewed on the website www.alfriston.info
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