On Saturday, Husband and I drove up to Prescott to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season. We had intentions to have dinner at the Prescott Brewery. Unfortunately, we left a little later than we had intended so we didn't have time to wait for a table there. So, we ate at St. Michael's Cafe which is also located on the Square. Anyway, after a superfast dinner we met Mom and Dad C as well as family friends the W Family at the W's home. We quickly made hot cocoa, bundled up, and headed back to the center of town, which would be the Square, to partake in the town's courthouse lighting.
What's the big deal, you ask?
How often, these days, do you see public school children lined up on courthouse steps singing Christmas music. Not just music but Christian carols like Silent Night, O Holy Night, Away in a Manger, etc. To hear the birth story of Jesus from the book of Luke spoken from those same courthouse steps...It was a time to cherish. Then everyone was invited to sing along. At this time all the lights came on... many of the perimeter trees had been decorated, a special Christmas tree in place, the statehood tree standing proud (Prescott used to be the state capital), decoration on the courthouse itself, and a gazebo all added a warm glow and a touch of "down home" to the chilly weather and a touch of Christmas to the heart.
The birth story of Jesus proclaimed from public steps without a riot or protest... it's unfortunate that it has become a rarity but continues to happen in Prescott, AZ every year on the first Saturday of December. I have heard that the ACLU is trying to get it be stopped at some level... but somehow the city finds a way around all the "legal-ese" - for which I am thankful!
After the lighting we walked to a the Sharlot Museum and experienced some things that we might have seen (and might not have seen) in an 1886 Christmas. Luminarias lit the pathway which was quite nice to stroll through with my sweet husband, family, and friends.
Good times had by all.
Good Times. I'm looking to experience some Christmas cheer in another locale. At the Park, we're having a "Christmas" Open House-- not a holiday open house, but a Christmas open house! And there will be students (3-4th graders, I think) from our local town coming to sing, and I wonder what songs they'll sing....? "Santa Claus is Coming to Town?" or maybe "The First Noel?" We'll see... :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful time! I wanna know what we would not have seen in 1886... :)
ReplyDeleteWell, what stuck out to me of things one probably wouldn't have seen in 1886 was the performance by the woman who played the "glass harmonica" - the crystal glasses with water and you make the glasses sing... yeah... was part of the exhibitions of talent at the Museuem but probably not of the 1886 culture. :)
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