Whoever had the idea of a Christmas Village at the Ta’ Qali national park – and whoever implemented the instructions given to set up such a magnificent scenario – deserves a big pat on the back.

People who travel abroad in the weeks leading up to Christmas know that a Christmas village, where Yuletide traditions come to life, is set up in various major European cities, and even in the smaller ones. Thousands of locals and tourists visit them each and every year, some to buy gifts for their loved ones, other just to simply taste the Christmas spirit.

The cold and rain does not stop such activities and, with Malta having such a milder climate when compared to northern and central Europe, it was always a mystery that something of the sort was not held in Malta. After all, as a people, the Maltese enjoy celebrating Christmas.

This year, the Rural Affairs and Environment Ministry took the plunge, and organised a Christmas Village at the Ta’ Qali national park between 13 and 16 December. In doing so, it hit two birds with one stone. First of all, it filled the void of not having such an activity which, for a Catholic country like Malta, was something that was missing. Secondly, it made good use of an open space which has great potential.

And, in spite of the fact that the weather was not kind to the organisers – it rained the day before the official opening when the final touches were being made, and it was cold and rainy during the days of the activities too – one must say that the people responded well to the initiative, something that must have encouraged the organisers to do better when they embark on the same project next year.

It was yet another example that the Maltese are a people who enjoy having things organised for them, and are always ready to try out something new. The Christmas village at Ta’ Qali over the past weekend showed that the people are thirsty for such initiatives – especially when they target the family.

The success of the Ta’ Qali Christmas village should serve two purposes – a repetition of the event next year and the years to come, and a better use of the open spaces we have.

The Ta’ Qali national park is so far the largest open public space we have in Malta, and thousands of families go there every weekend in the cooler months. And it has the potential to become an area where activities for large crowds are held on a regular basis. Some events have been held there in the past, but the park has so far been under-utilised to this effect. Maybe the Christmas village will open the way for similar events, perhaps even during the summer months – what’s wrong with having public activities there during the summer evenings?

Having been the first experience, the Christmas village at Ta’ Qali was a resounding success. But there are, of course, things that could be improved. For example, a leaflet with a layout of the park and its different activities, together with a programme of events, could be printed and distributed to people as they are walking in – we are sure that sponsors would be willing to have their name associated with such an event. A number of helpers should also be there to assist people with queries and to inform visitors of what’s next on the programme.

Otherwise, there was good organisation, a varied programme, Christmas gifts to buy and – a big necessity for us Maltese – a variety of snacks and drinks.

Let us hope that what happened last weekend was the start of another Christmas tradition in Malta.