The start of some of Walkington’s Christmas traditions

Shortly before Christmas 1962 a village resident, Arthur Dixon, gave the sum of £6 to spend on illuminating the recently-refurbished pond with coloured lights during the festive season. This sum was sufficient to fund the purchase of enough bulbs and cables to reach half-way along the pond. In the same year the Merry Christmas sign was made, by one Tim Hardy – the same one that is still in use to this day.
By Christmas 1963 enough money and materials had been found to extend the lights the full length of the pond. Sadly Arthur Dixon did not live to see this full display, but no doubt he would be happy that his dream inspired such a long-lasting tradition, still going strong nearly half a century later and giving pleasure to all in the dark winter evenings.

 

Christmas 1964 saw the first carol service at the pond, complete with the steam organ and also a hot dog stand, ‘manned’ by a stalwart crew of village ladies on several nights during the festive season This sadly has fallen by the wayside at some point in the intervening years. 

 

A year later, and the folk gathering at the pond for their carol singing were greeted by a passing Father Christmas, on his way to a Round Table event in Beverley. This gave someone a bright idea, which bore fruit the following year with the appearance of Walkington’s own Santa, crossing the pond in a boat and laden with sweets to distribute to the waiting children. Not only was this a great success with children young and old, it was also financially worthwhile as the money collected on this and subsequent Christmases was used to purchase a variety of different ornamental ducks for the pond and provide for their care.

 

By 1968 Santa’s boat had acquired a reindeer, (actually the last deer to be shot on the Risby Estate), courtesy of Walter Lawson, complete with jingling bells and fairy lights. It must have been a magical and unforgettable sight for the gathered children to witness, as the little boat appeared out of the darkness and made its way to where they waited.

 

Our water-borne Santa continued to be an essential part of the proceedings for many years, even breaking his way through a layer of ice on one bitter winter night. In the early 1990’s Santa abandoned his boat in favour of a ladder, and since then the great man has made his initial appearance over the roof of the cottage behind the pond, holding firmly to the chimney stack and waving his greetings to the crowds. He still carries with him his sack full of sweets for the children, and they swarm towards him as he comes down the path to the gateway, hands outstretched to receive their own little bag of goodies.

 

The carols, the prayers, the music and the magic of Father Christmas, together with the fireworks and colourful lights sparkling on the water, are a special tradition at the heart of a Walkington Christmas. Aspects of it may change as the years go by, but the legacy of Arthur Dixon and so many others is something of which we can be proud as we gather once again on the banks of our ‘mucky old pond’.