Rye is beginning to look a lot like Christmas as changes unfold throughout the town – and there are some special touches.
Rye Retreat has a Santa post box which is open to all who pass by. It is wonderful to see children as they approach the post box with a mix of excitement and ceremony. They clutch their carefully-written letters to Father Christmas. As the envelope disappears into the slot, they hold their breath — certain that their wishes are now travelling straight into the heart of Christmas. In that simple act, the street seems to be touched with extra special sparkles, touched by the quiet magic only children can make real.
How did the post box come to be?
Jenny Webb, from Rye Retreat, explained, “It started as a lovely thing to do for our staff, a lot of whom had young children. Jenny and Ralph Sperring, the owners of Rye Retreat, have always loved Christmas and have even been known in past years to donate to the local fire station and in return the firemen come in for a visit dressed as Santa!”
“As the years passed, Christmas at Rye Retreat became more focussed on the younger members of the Retreat family. Jenny tasked Bill, our very talented handyman with making us a post box for the children to post their letters to Father Christmas. Its appearance was always accompanied with family crafts, hot chocolate, mulled wine and nibbles. As the salon children have grown up, the post box has been used less often, so to ensure that it is enjoyed by as many children as possible we started offering it to the public to use.”
You raise money for charity too, don’t you?
“Yes, we raise money for various charities, and we will be doing the same this year, so keep an eye out on the cobbles on Saturdays 6 and 13 December outside Rye Retreat. There will be details on how to donate to our chosen charity alongside our Father Christmas Post Box.
“Rye Retreat wishes all its loyal customers a very happy Christmas and a healthy New Year!”
Image Credits: Rye Retreat , Kt bruce .