I am surprised that the astronauts on the space station have not reported a new glow from eastern Canada. The holiday lights on display in The Bog this year are amazing, It is like we are saying, “ enough is enough, we are going to do everything we can to brighten up our world.” I know that at our house we have put out every strand of lights we own, and they went up early too!
We are not alone either. Many houses that had been dark in former years are filled with “songbirds” grounded by the worldwide pandemic.
This need to spread the light of Christmas; the season of hope and joy seems to be contagious; maybe as contagious as Covid 19! We are fast approaching the Feast of Epiphany when most of us tuck our Christmas decorations away for another year, This year we plan to leave our lights up and glowing through the dark days of winter. We will call them Winter lights, lights of hope and promise.
Father Jason has encouraged this show of community spirit by putting up our Parish crèche very early and asking us to add to the display with our own contributions. The crèche is a gift to us from Rev Billie and her late husband James. James made the original figures as well as the shelter and they have become a part of our collective Christmas preparation. The open shelter along with a few animals and the empty manger show up on the front lawn at St. Bart’s in mid-December. This year we saw it in place before Advent Sunday.
As time draws closer to Christmas, more animals begin to show up and on the afternoon of December 24th the children of the parish Sunday School come and place the Holy Family around the empty manger. When we arrive for the Christmas eve service much later that evening we find the figure of the baby Jesus nestled in the straw of the manger and the Shepherds with their sheep are standing there, There is a choir of Angels on the hill above the scene and our hearts are filled with joy.
Because Jason suggested the community feel free to add to the tableau, we have many more sheep, a few cows a donkey or two and even a border collie at the ready to do some herding if asked! My Orin and Benny Smith have added spotlights so that we really do glow into the dark night.
Christmas eve came and because of Covid restrictions our numbers had to be small enough for proper spacing but, once again, Jason came up with an invitation to the Community to join the service from around the crèche on the lawn and there were speakers up too. We sang the wonderful carols of Christmas and we could hear the community singing from the church yard. It sounded like the Angels were joining in with the fine folks from The Bog.
It is almost time to take the crèche down for another year, but I think it may remain up and lighted for a few more weeks. We all need the reminder of Hope and Joy that we see when we pass by St. Bart’s. I know our home will keep the lights burning for now as we await the end of this isolation.
I’ll keep you posted,
Aunt Madge
