Christmas at Chestnut Tree House

From creating magical memories, to helping families through some of their toughest times, we need you this festive season.

A little girl in pink glasses smiling at the camera

Help support families who need it most this Christmas

"It was 3pm on Christmas Eve, 2021, when we got the most devastating news a parent can hear."

Claire was in hospital with her daughter, Leah. Her partner Dean was at home looking after their eldest child. He had to hear the worst news of his life via Zoom, through a laptop screen, and Claire had to find out alone, without her husband's hand to hold. She remembers "All we could do was watch each other crumble through the screen as we were told that our precious little girl wouldn’t make it to her second birthday"

Read the full story

Get involved with your local children's hospice this Christmas

An easy and hassle-free way to dispose of your Christmas Tree. With thanks to our supporters, Biffa, this year you'll be able to get your tree safely collected from your home for a donation to the hospice.

Book your collection

Choose your own date in December to hold a Reindeer Fun day full of Christmas themed activities.

Find out the best way to provide a gift this Christmas for children with life-limiting illnesses.

Christmas siblings having fun in santa hats

The festive season is the perfect time to give back to your community. Here are our fundraising ideas to get you started.

Christmas at Chestnut

We make sure there’s something for all the children we support to get involved with at the House and across Sussex and South East Hampshire. It’s a magical time of the year to be together, having fun with lots of laughs. The House is decorated with tinsel, paper chains and of course a few Christmas trees.

And no Chestnut Tree Christmas would be complete without The Snowman, our beloved former Patron Raymond Brigg’s iconic creation. Find out more about Raymond’s support for the hospice here. This year we’ve gone extra special with thanks from Hobbycraft, who kindly came to the House with crafts galore and kitted us out in their very finest Christmas decorations. See what we all got up to on the day they joined us in their Christmas advert.

Montage of chestnut tree house interiors with lots of Christmas decorations

Hospice activities this winter

At the House, there’ll be family favourites like our popular spectacular Christmas lights switch on, where we’ll be dancing to live music, marvelling at a breath-taking laser light show, and enjoying a warming cup of hot chocolate as we explore glow-in-the-dark games and activities!

There’s also a festive pyjama party. A chance for us all to relax in front of a Christmas film… with a twist! Because we’ll be brining it to life with interactive challenges, sensory surprises, and a line-up of awesome activities for everyone.

And, our cozy Christmas jumper day – where we’ll all be baking cookies, getting creative with crafts and playing board games.

Montage of children getting into the festive spirit

Special guests

No festive period would be complete without a special visit from Father Christmas! He’s taking time out of his busy schedule to say hello and join our Christmas party! Plus, 2024 was an extra special year, with additional festive visits from Brighton and Hove Albion who brought along Christmas presents and lots of excitement to the House. And, a first-time visit from Norman Cook, aka FatBoy Slim, who gave a special DJ lesson to some of the children cared for by Chestnut.

Montage of Santa with Christopher, Albion football payers and Norman cook with Loui

Activities outside the hospice

We’re also bringing the fun out into the community, from Hampshire to East Sussex, so even more families get to enjoy magical times together. We have a special fully interactive and multi-sensory live panto, a winter wonderland being set up for the whole family and a Christmas party with games and fun!

Parents, siblings (and staff!) also don’t miss out

We’ll also have unique activities just for parents and carers – like wreath making workshops. These activities are a chance for parents and carers to come together and do something different while making new friends with people who understand what they’re going through. Siblings won’t be missing out either – with a fun ice skating outing planned and roast dinner! A chance to hang out with their friends and let loose for a day and create some unforgettable memories.

Needless to say, the Chestnut Tree House staff also have a great time over the Christmas period – finding every opportunity to add a bit of extra sparkle to our families time spent at the hospice, and don a Santa hat in the process wherever they can too!

Please consider supporting us this Christmas

Make a one off donation today Set up a regular gift

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could pay for a selection of arty materials for children to get creative with

gives a child an hour of fun and specialist care at home

could give a bereaved family a therapeutic group session with a counsellor

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