What does Christmas mean to you? That’s what Huddersfield Choral Society is asking children across Kirklees in the hope that it will inspire them to get painting.

For this year, the Choral wants to use a child’s view of Christmas as the cover of its festive concert programme which is why it has come up with a competition to involve children from Kirklees schools.

For Choral Society members, singing is a crucial part of their lives.

It inspires them, challenges them but above all, puts a smile on their faces.

For many of them, you suspect, Christmas wouldn’t be quite the same without music.

And the festive season is always packed full of glorious singing from this internationally respected choir.

If you’ve ever been to one of its Christmas concerts, you’ll know that it’s always a big celebration.

With them, music at this special time of year is about all the things that people love about Christmas. But what the choir wants to know is, what makes a child’s Christmas?

What is it for them that adds sparkle to this most magical time of year?

Does Christmas conjure up images of Santa flying over chimney pots with his reindeer, snowmen, robins and Christmas trees in a winter wonderland or simply the birth of a special child and the journey of three wise men?

The Choral has junior choirs which work hard to help plug children into the joy and sheer fun of singing.

Now the choir has come up with another idea which it hopes will help make this Christmas just that extra bit special for children in Kirklees.

It is holding an art competition to find a cover for the programme for its Christmas Concert in Huddersfield Town Hall on December 13.

And there are prizes which will give the winner a taste of that famous Choral sound plus win a workshop for his or her school.

The competition is open to children aged between five and 11 at primary schools in the Huddersfield area and the theme is, What does Christmas mean to you?

Renowned artist Ashley Jackson, who lives in Holmfirth, will chose the winner of the competition which will form the programme’s front cover.

There will be four runners up whose entries will form the back cover of the programme.

For the winner there is a £50 voucher to spend at Calder Graphics, a copy of Ashley’s book Successful Watercolour Painting and three free tickets to the Christmas Concert and post concert reception.

There will also be a free half day singing workshop for the winning entrant’s school to be organised by the Society’s Junior Choirs Musical Director.

The winner will be presented with the first two of the prizes by Ashley, on stage, at the beginning of the Christmas Concert and the winning entries will be displayed in the Area entrance of the Town Hall at the concert.

Each runner up will receive a £20 voucher to spend at Calder Graphics.

Closing date is October 28. So get painting.