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Holiday events spread good cheer |
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Wednesday, 12 December 2007 |
There is no shortage of holiday-themed events this time of year held throughout the area.
Tonight features both the nativity displays and the Kiwanis Christmas Carol Festival inside the LDS Stake Centre.
School band concerts are scattered throughout the calendar the next few weeks, as are school Christmas concerts for every local school.
Throw in the Second Annual Gingerbread House Competition Saturday and the St. Theodore's Choir Christmas Candlelight Service Sunday, and there are certainly various opportunities get into the Christmas spirit.
But Sunday and Monday night, in Grassy Lake, there is a little event that is entering its 30th year of existence.
The Live Nativity Pageant, which takes place on the lawn outside the Grassy Lake LDS church, has been a holiday tradition for decades.
Every year, families come from Grassy Lake, Taber and surrounding areas to take in the story of the first Christmas, as portrayed by local young people.
The show, complete with live animals, of course, is mostly the same every year, with differences in the cast and the main characters.
With hay bales stacked high as stadium-style seats, and refreshments inside the church, the Live Nativity PAgeant has become one of those events that simply helps kick off the holiday season.
For those who attend the event, their spirits are lifted, as they watch the cast members play out their parts despite the bitter cold.
Events such as the Live Nativity Pageant, which has only gone on 30 years due to the dedication of those who pull it together every year, are a welcome diversion from the hustle and bustle of the season.
As people struggle with last-minute shopping trips and finish off work commitments before the holidays, sometimes, things need to be put into the proper perspective.
The Kiwanis festival, the nativity pageant and the Barnwell Community Twinkle Light and Jingle Extravaganza, which goes for another year Dec. 19, serve to pull the community together.
They are hosted by valuable, community-minded volunteers, who simply want to spread a little holiday cheer, and maybe even get people thinking about what Christmas might mean to them. With everything that goes on around us everyday, it is nice to know these types of events are being put on every season, to make sure holiday cheer is never in short supply. |
