Children at a County Durham primary school have shared the true meaning of Christmas by creating their own ‘Elfridges’ store.
Elfridges – a festive play on the Selfridges department store chain – is run every year at Middlestone Moor Primary School, in Spennymoor, by the school’s Year 6 pupils.
The older pupils at the Advance Learning Partnership school dress as elves, and assist younger classmates to choose and wrap presents for loved ones.
Teacher Claire Porthouse said: “This is the fourth year we’ve done Elfridges. We originally started after noticing some families were struggling at Christmas time.
“We wanted to do something that would bring some joy to the children, and bring back the real meaning of Christmas and the importance of giving.
“It’s not about big flashy presents, it's about picking something that’s meaningful, and giving it to somebody that you love.”
The gifts are donated by families, and include toys, toiletries, chocolates, and more. Every child in the school – including the elves – has the chance to choose something for a loved one.
School council members, Emily Brown and Isabel Thomas, were excited to take their turn as elves this year. Isabel said: “Doing Elfridges is really fun, because we get to help wrap presents and make people happy.
“Everyone deserves to have cheer and joy at Christmas time. I was helping one of the nursery children, and he just made my heart melt because he was so excited to be getting a present for his mum!”
Emily added: “It’s really nice for the little ones, because they get to pick presents for their parents or siblings without having to buy anything.
“I think giving presents is much nicer than getting them. It makes people happy, and that’s really what Christmas is all about.
“I think education comes in lots of different ways, and today we not just learning maths and English, but we’re learning about how to be happy, and how to share happiness.”
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