UPDATE!
The tree lighting began with a parade of the town’s firetrucks and emergency vehicle that brought Santa Claus to the park.
Next, counting down to the tree lighting. Stiff winds coming off the river all day jangled the strings of lights, giving the tree a somewhat comical appearance, but everyone seemed to like it just the same.
Before and After
Including Santa who posed for photos with the little ones, and the town’s firefighters. Hot popcorn and cocoa were provided to ward off the bracing temps, measured at a “balmy” 32 degrees, not including the wind chill factor!
Ho Ho Ho!
~~~
A tree-lighting ceremony is set for later this afternoon in the little town where we have a second home in Maine. It is bitterly cold out, windy with snow flurries. We will attend the lighting within the confines and comfort of our heated vehicle.
There’s a lot of Christmas spirit here in this little Maine town — not quite as glam as portrayed in a Hallmark Christmas movie, but with the same kind of vibe. Many families have had outdoor Christmas lights up and lit for weeks, conveying a silent message saying we need a little Christmas, right this very moment.
My husband is totally committed to turning our home into “DisneyWorld” with brightly colored displays that have created a different scene for the past dozen years. It takes him weeks to assemble, design the theme, and erect the ornaments. The tradition began as a way to bring Christmas cheer to his Mom who was failing and bedridden but could marvel at and enjoy the wondrous display from her window. Her son has carried on the tradition though she’s now gone, and townsfolk have come to expect it, bringing their children by several times to ooh and aah at the animated ice skaters, carolers, elves, peppermint candy cane windmills, snow globes and adorable deer that “feed” beside bright green pines “swaying” in the wind. Santa Claus and a Nativity scene complete the tableau which takes up our ample sized yard.
And so, though Thanksgiving holiday is already behind us and leftovers are in our bellies or in the freezer, we remain so thankful we’re able to continue the traditions even as we create new ones, a way of remembering those who made our Christmases bright when we were children.
Photos of this evening’s town tree lighting to come…
~~~
Haul out
The holly
Put up the tree
Before my spirit
Falls again
Fill up
The stocking
I may be
Rushing things
But
Deck the halls
Again now
For we need
A little Christmas
Right
This very minute
Candles
In the window
Carols
At the spinet
Yes
We need
A little Christmas
Right
This very minute
It hasn’t snowed
A single flurry
But Santa, dear
We’re in a hurry
So climb
Down the chimney
Turn on
The brightest
String of light
I’ve ever seen
Slice up
The fruitcake
It’s time
We hung
Some tinsel
On that
Evergreen bough
For I’ve grown
A little leaner
Grown
A little colder
Grown
A little sadder
Grown
A little older
And I need
A little angel
Sitting
On my shoulder
Need a little
Christmas now
For we need
A little music
Need
A little laughter
Need
A little singing
Ringing through
The rafter
And we need
A little snappy
“Happy ever after”
Need a little
Christmas now
