On Thursday 4 December, Hockey’s Farm Shop hosted our Christmas Shopping Evening, welcoming customers to the farm for a festive night of shopping local, discovering new brands and enjoying the build-up to Christmas together 🎅🏼🎁

After the heavy downpour the day before, we were incredibly lucky with the weather on the night. People wrapped up warm and came out in their droves, creating a lively and welcoming atmosphere across all of Hockey’s ✨ From the cafe and canopy area to the Farm Shop and The Vinery, customers moved throughout the site, browsing stalls, chatting with friends and making a real evening of it. A great time was had by all.

The Christmas Shopping Evening was all about coming together 🤍 It was about enjoying Christmas shopping without rushing, supporting local businesses and spending time in a familiar, friendly setting as the festive season got underway.

A festive night of Christmas shopping at Hockey’s 🎄

Throughout the evening, Hockey’s was full of customers enjoying the experience of Christmas shopping in the New Forest. Stalls were spread across the farm, and visitors wandered freely from one area to another, browsing, stopping to chat and discovering something new as they went 🎁

There was a real sense of energy on the night. People took their time, enjoyed being out locally and embraced the festive atmosphere ✨ It was lovely to see friends meeting up, families shopping together and familiar faces catching up while browsing the stalls.

Christmas shopping can often feel stressful, but the Christmas Shopping Evening offered something different: a relaxed, enjoyable way to shop local and start ticking off Christmas lists without pressure 🎄

Discovering new brands and products 🎁

One of the highlights of the evening was seeing customers introduced to brands or products for the first time. As people browsed the stalls, there were plenty of moments where something caught their eye, sparked a conversation or turned into an unexpected purchase ✨

This is what shopping local is all about. It is about discovery, conversation and finding something a little different. The Christmas Shopping Evening gave customers the chance to explore a wide range of independent brands and products, many of which were new to them, and to enjoy learning more about what was on offer.

Seeing those first introductions happen, and watching people leave with something they were genuinely excited about, was incredibly rewarding 🎄

Meat raffle and tombola excitement 🎟️✨

The meat raffle and tombola were a real success on the night and added to the fun of the evening. There was plenty of excitement around the draws, with some very enthusiastic and happy winners 🎉

These moments brought people together, with customers stopping to watch, cheer and share in the excitement. A huge thank you goes to all of our stallholders who contributed prizes 🤍 Your generosity helped make the tombola such a positive and enjoyable part of the evening.

A community coming together to shop local 🤍🎄

Above all, the Christmas Shopping Evening was about community. It was genuinely lovely to see so many people come together, support local businesses and enjoy spending time at Hockey’s in the run-up to Christmas ✨

Shopping local has a real impact, especially at this time of year. Events like this allow customers to support independent businesses while enjoying a more personal shopping experience. The turnout on the night showed just how much our community values local shopping and the opportunity to connect in person 🎁

The evening felt relaxed, festive and full of goodwill, and that atmosphere stayed with us long after the night ended.

Thank you to everyone involved 🎄

We would like to say a huge thank you to all of the stallholders who joined us for the Christmas Shopping Evening and helped make it such a success ✨ Your support, enthusiasm and contributions to tombola were very much appreciated.

Thank you also to everyone who came along, wrapped up warm and spent their evening with us 🤍 Seeing Hockey’s busy, full and buzzing meant a great deal, and your continued support is what makes events like this possible.

Christmas at Hockey’s Farm Shop 🎅🏼✨

The Christmas Shopping Evening on Thursday 4 December was a wonderful way to start December at Hockey’s and celebrate Christmas shopping in the New Forest 🎄 It brought together local businesses, familiar faces and festive spirit, all in one place.

As the festive season continues, we look forward to welcoming customers back to Hockey’s Farm Shop and The Vinery and sharing more moments like this in the lead-up to Christmas ✨