Thursday, December 02, 2010

Christmas Lights


Our city has a strong German heritage and hosts Christkindl Market the first weekend of December. We attend it annually and I have written about it before on this blog. The opening ceremony is at 6 PM on the Thursday night and this year we bundled up and went to the outdoor procession for the first time.
Walk to the downtown park
...select a candle from the table
...ask a stranger to share their light
...listen to the Philharmonic Choir sing carols at the clock tower

The night time chill which numbed fingers and toes did not seem as harsh when surrounded by flickering candles and a warm community spirit.


Mary and Joseph waited patiently in the cold with their live donkey. At the appointed time they led the candlelight procession for two city blocks to city hall. The choir and crowd sang Oh Come all Ye Faithful and Joy to the World as we walked along the street. At city hall, others watched the parade approach and a brass ensemble played as Mary and Joseph took their place in the outdoor live nativity scene. 
Beautiful, meaningful
...lump in my throat
...a diverse community comes together to celebrate

 
The choir sang Handel's Hallelujah Chorus and the market officially opened. I already have one of the nicest Christmas memories for this season.

6 comments:

  1. I think it would give me a lump too.

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  2. What a lovely sight and sound that must have been Ruth.

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  3. It is indeed wonderful to see a community come together in such a positive way. It must have been beautiful to see in person.

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  4. It's such a peaceful celebration - too bad the world couldn't celebrate like this, every one getting along. merry Christmas, Ruth.

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  5. What a neat community event!

    At the coast at the moment with limited computer access.

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  6. Thanks to all who took the time to comment.

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