Last Friday, on the 11th December the streets of Kirkby Lonsdale were filled, in a socially distanced fashion, with happy shoppers and dancing children during the second week of Late Night Shopping. Hanna Wicks, a local student at QES and talented musician, played Christmas carols on the saxophone which floated down the Christmas-lit Kirkby streets and Lantern Walkers rejoiced as they discovered the traditions of Kirkby Lonsdale during their wintry tour of the town.
Virtual Christmas Window Walk
However, it was not just the shoppers in the street who rejoiced with us last week: the widespread Kirkby Lonsdale community came together online to celebrate Christmas and support local business during a Virtual Christmas Window Walk. The online event took place on Facebook Live (which you can still watch here) and gave viewers at home, who are shielding because of Coronavirus or aren’t able to come home for Christmas, an opportunity to see all the town’s beautiful Christmas displays. People came together to walk the magical streets of Kirkby Lonsdale from across Britain and even the world – with some watchers from Belgium and Australia!
Christmas Window Competition
The town’s local businesses have outdone themselves this year by creating some gorgeous festive windows for their entries into the Christmas Window Competition. Alongside their bids to win the £125 cash prize, the shops have united to provide Late Night Shoppers with a special and beautiful atmosphere throughout town, boosting Christmas spirits all around. The winners will be announced this Friday during Late Night Shopping and on Facebook Live at 6pm.
Lunesdale Home and Garden
Lunesdale Home and Garden are open every week this December for Late Night Shopping. You can find battery or plug-in Christmas lights, Christmas decorations and both real or artificial Christmas trees. A similar stock one might imagine at the North Pole! Their Christmas windows are lit up beautifully to welcome you into Santa’s grotto along with a traditional reminder of the birth of Christ.
The Milking Parlour
This year The Milking Parlour felt it was important to reflect the 2020 we’ve all experienced in their Christmas window display. So, they set to filling their windows with hand drawn illustrations of some of our town’s most well-known features alongside some personal words reflecting the importance, now more than ever, of sticking together, supporting one another and shopping local. The Milking parlour have created lots of delicious festive ice creams for you to enjoy by the scoop or takeaway tub this Christmas. Just call into the parlour during Late Night Shopping or order via their online shop – they’re open throughout December and over the Christmas and New Year period.
Lux Boutique
Lux Boutique‘s window displays the excitement of waking up on Christmas morning in your best pyjamas and running downstairs to find all your presents under the Christmas tree, delivered by Father Christmas over night! Pop in during Late Night Shopping this Friday to get your own special silk pyjamas in time for the big day and browse their wonderful selection of Christmas gifts.
From all of us at Kirkby Lonsdale CIC, we hope you had a wonderful time at Late Night Shopping, and we can’t wait to do it all again this Friday 18th December. And if you can’t make it because of Coronavirus or any other reason, don’t forget the winner of the Christmas Window Competition will be announced on Facebook Live at 6pm during the Virtual Award Show!
