As we’re here at Christmas and holiday season, most of us remember holidays gone by… when the kids were little, or when WE were little. Maybe we always enjoyed visiting department stores that no longer exist. We enjoyed TV specials that no one bothers to show. We enjoyed family and friends who are no longer with us.
A lot of our Christmas “feeling” takes us back – “just like the ones I used to know.” But it seems to me that we also always want to say fresh… to explore new experiences, and maybe add them to our list of traditions as well. So herewith are some signs and experiences of the season. Some have already gone by for THIS season, so for heaven’s sake check before dashing through the snow. Print this off, and save it for an early start next year.
*Star over Bath. We moved into Bath village on New Year’s Eve of 1995. We’d never lived in the Southern Tier before, and after sunset we asked: what’s that up on the hill? We unpacked the binoculars, and verified what we’d suspected. A fine bright Christmas star shines over Bath each night, beaming brightly from Mossy Bank. What an elegant sign of Christmas.
*Community Christmas celebrations. Many of our towns and cities have special nights or weekends when they gather and enjoy the season. Yes, the merchants are trying to stimulate business. But the streets, parks, and squares are lighted and decorated. Bells ring, and carolers sing. Hot chocolate flows, library ladies read to kids, fire trucks give rides, and neighbors find each other in the dark. Try Sparkle of Christmas (Corning), Christmas in the Park (Hammondsport), Spirit of Christmas (Bath), Dickens of a Christmas (Wellsboro), Starshine (Penn Yan), A Touch of Christmas (Dundee)… they go ever on and on.
*Salvation Army bell ringers. It’s COLD out there! If it’s cold for us as we dart between car door and store door, how cold is it for those bell ringers standing there hour after hour? How cold is it for homeless kids, night after night? Pitch in, and pitch into the pot. Somebody needs the help. It might be somebody you know… if not this year, then maybe next.
*Menorah collection. Growing up in Rhode Island, we would often visit the shopping center at Garden City during Christmas season. With a little wheedling, our parents could be convinced to drive toward home through the surrounding urban/suburban neighborhoods to see the Christmas lights. Cruising comfortably along enjoying lights in the darkness, we especially enjoyed noticing those homes which instead of (or in addition to) Christmas lights had a lighted Menorah celebrating Chanukah. Temple B’rith Kodesh in Rochester exhibits the 200-piece Lewis menorah collection. Some are works of fine art, while others are crude pieces painstakingly formed in poverty, and perhaps in secrecy. Some are cheap commercial products. Some are whimsical, some are tiny, some are huge. As a general rule the collection is open for view without admission during business hours year-round, but check ahead, especially being aware to avoid services and Jewish holidays.
*A lane of Christmas trees. On Clara Barton Street in Dansville, between the Lutheran and Episcopal churches, community groups have decorated two rows of living Christmas trees that line a walkway between the two buildings. It’s like strolling your way through Christmas.
*A houseful of trees. Granger Homestead in Canandaigua hosts a Festival of Trees each year. The mansion is crammed with dozens of trees, from huge ones to tabletoppers, decorated traditionally or avant-garde. Anything goes, and you can pretty much guarantee the Christmas mood by the time you leave. Tioga County Historical Society in Owego has a similar O Tannenbaum event.
*Rooms full of toys. Tioga County Historical Society also has an annual toy exhibit, this year all toys that could have been found in or before 1914, to honor the society’s centennial. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport has its annual show of dollhouses, miniatures, antique dolls, and antique toys. The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester has a gigantic collection of playthings, all excitingly presented.
*City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style. Even if you’re not actually shopping, take some time to stroll the colorful streets, peeking in the windows to see the displays. Some of our favorites are Market Street in Corning, Main Street in Wellsboro (with its wreath-hung gaslights), Main Street in Canandaigua, the River Row in Owego, and Main Street in Penn Yan.
*Live it up at the library. Most of our libraries have kid-oriented activities and story times for the holidays, not to mention videos and books… ESPECIALLY books about Chanukah, Kwanzaa, and other aspects of the season that often get short shrift. Libraries are warm in the cold weather. They’re relaxed, they’re friendly, they welcome kids, and they don’t cost a dime.
*Something different. We’ve enjoyed Kwanzaa activities at Rochester Museum and Science Center… sometimes there are other ethnically-centered celebrations as well. Not to mention caroling Tesla coils, and a holiday laser show.
*Holy night. One place you can find the spirit of Christmas is church. We’ve attended festivals of lessons and carols in Horseheads and in Bath. Caroling trips. Living nativities. Midnight masses. Christmas Eve services. Every fellowship has its own traditions, and its own new ideas. The doors are open, the welcome’s warm, and just like the library, it doesn’t cost a dime.