Ranger Christmas Day 2025

Ranger Christmas Day

Ranger Day this December was again as a direct result of a request from the Rangers themselves. The girls had asked to try something new this year, instead of a weekend, they asked for two separate dates at different times in the year, doing very different activities, and I think we can all agree that they got exactly what they asked for. In May this year we saw them all thoroughly enjoying, and challenging themselves, at Alive Outside where the highlight of their day was definitely the Hell and Back course.

So for their second day of the year, and given that they wanted something completely different, and it was almost Christmas, we decided to lean into the time of year for our theme, and we had a Christmas themed event over two locations in County Wicklow.

Another aspect we changed for the day was the timing. So we actually began our day at lunchtime and finished in the early evening time. We still got in as much time and fun for our day, but it was nice to not have to rush out early in the morning and to give ourselves a bit more of a leisurely day.

We began our day at Lynham’s of Laragh for our Christmas lunch. A massive thanks yet again to Lynhams and all their staff, they went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and they couldn’t do enough for us. And a special mention for our own Terry, who liaised with Lynhams and managed to organise such a brilliant start to our day.

When we had all gathered, we kicked off with a welcome from the Chief who had travelled up from Cork to be with us for the day, so again much appreciation from us all for that. After Julie spoke and welcomed the girls to their day, we had an introduction to CIGA by Dara from IGG and Sarah from CGI. It was nice for the girls to hear about CIGA, as it turned out very few of them had ever heard about it before, so it was definitely a worthwhile exercise by the ladies, I hope they felt the same. They also spent some time with the girls doing a short activity, where the girls were asked to write a brief postcard and then they were going to be taken away and distributed to the girls at an IGG event on a different date, a lovely way to increase interaction between both organisations. And of course Dara and Sarah did not come empty handed, they had badges for everyone, which is always very welcome.

Next we sat down to our Christmas lunch which was delicious, and Terry had prepared a little surprise for all of the girls at their places, they each received a Positive Pet, a tiny animal with a positivity verse, a lovely touch for the day. They did also receive their badge for the day.

Another request by the girls that we were glad to fulfil was the return of DJ Hope, one of their own. Hope is a Ranger in Kilcock and she’s acted as DJ for us on a number of occasions at this stage, the girls always love to have her at their events if possible and she was a great addition to the afternoon.

Unfortunately we didn’t have very much time to dance or play games in Lynhams as our schedule had us back on the buses mid-afternoon and making our way to the highlight of our day, which was the Christmas Lights at Beyond the Treetops in Avondale.

As the buses pulled in the sun had already gone down and it was beginning to get darker, so it was a perfect time for us to take on the walk to get from the ground to way above the treetops. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t great on the night, we had rain and the higher we got it was a bit windy too, which caused a few wobbles for some people. But neither the wind nor the rain could dampen our spirits and the views were amazing.

Besides the walk above the treetops itself, there was also lots more to explore. As you make your way through the forest and reach the base of the iconic Treetop Tower, you’re greeted with a mesmerising glow that fills the night sky. The moment the lights, music, and atmosphere come together, it’s pure magic. They say that there’s nothing else like it in Ireland, and I think we can all agree that that was the case. From the illuminations of woodland creatures to just the beauty of the backdrop, it was beautiful from start to finish.

Once you were done with the walk, the fun didn’t end there. There was an ice rink, though we didn’t use it; there were a few other rides and game stalls like you would see at a carnival, and of course there were plenty of stalls selling different types of foods and drinks, which the girls really did enjoy.

The buses began to leave around 6pm as it became darker and colder, so it was a perfect time for us to take our leave. All in all, the feedback from the girls on the day was all positive, and hopefully they all used the QR code and gave their feedback online – which was another innovation we tried out for the first time. We’d like to move away from paper evaluation forms and so we tried this out with the Rangers to see what the response would be.

Finally, we’d like to say thanks to everyone that made the day what it was; from the office staff who were pivotal in the organisation of the day; to the Chief who gave of her time to come and stay for the entire event; the Ranger Team who came up with the ideas and executed them; to all the Guiders who came along on the day with their girls. We say it a lot, but only because it’s true, without you there would be no days like this, so the final and biggest thanks must, as always, go to yourselves.