National Tree Dressing Day takes place on 3rd December, celebrating all the wonderful trees in our lives and draws inspiration from ancient customs around the world. Activities like dancing, storytelling and crafting bring communities together to recognize the vital role trees and their inhabitants play in all our lives.

If you can’t find an event in your area, create your own with friends and family to celebrate your local trees. You might like to make decorative bird feeders which not only look pretty hanging in the trees but keep our feathered friends fuelled up for the winter months.

Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre and National Nature Reserve, Nottinghamshire Spend Saturday 3rd December making a bird feeder at the tree-dressing workshop and Sunday 4th December gathered with others to decorate the trees in one of the most famous forests in England.

Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, near Chichester Children and visitors of all ages are invited to make a lantern during this special celebration day. The day’s finale, as darkness falls, is a procession around two magnificent aspen trees, which are dressed with the hundreds of home-made lanterns (pictured).

Apple Farm, Afton Park, Isle of Wight Bring flags, rags, fruit, ribbons, lanterns or cards – write a special message on them and hang in one of the lovely apple trees at this award-winning apple orchard. Includes a Christmas fair.

Newhailes, Musselburgh, East Lothian Festive fun with recycling! Help celebrate some of Newhailes’ wonderful trees by going along to make some eco-friendly decorations to hang on the trees in the National Trust Scotland estate, or you can take them home for your own Christmas tree.

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Lucy Corkhill is a freelance writer and hosts workshops from her beautiful clifftop home. She worked for many years as a therapist specialising in pregnancy and post-natal treatments and she and her husband are looking forward to adopting in 2012.

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