Palmyra residents flock to the annual Christmas tree lighting
Stephen Finn
The Sun
Palmyra residents braved the frigid night air on Friday, Dec. 7, for the borough’s annual tree lighting. As planned, the recent renovations to Grove Park were completed just in time to host the event. In spite of the piles of hay standing in for grass, the new walkways and arch made the park a welcoming venue for the night’s celebration.
While a crowd gathered in front of the bandshell, the Palmyra High School band played some holiday standards around the soon-to-be lit Christmas tree up on the stage. As families huddled together for warmth, locals shared what makes the holidays special to them.
Residents Sandra and Ray Cintron came to the park with their sons Antonio and Roberto. The Cintrons have lived in Palmyra for 25 years and have seen many Christmases in the borough. Sandra shared what she thinks makes her town unique come Christmas time.
“I think it’s the sense of community, the tradition, Santa coming around,” said Sandra.
Around the holidays the family looks forward to spending time with each other and their friends, making new memories and laughing. They have several traditions they observe each year as well.
“We have family dinners together, hang out, laugh and joke. We go ice skating at Cooper River,” said Ray.
“We do gingerbread,” added Sandra. “They (her sons) have been doing it since they were little with their cousins. We started with foam when they were really little, then we graduated to graham crackers and now we have the actual gingerbread.”
Around 7 p.m. when Santa had finished riding around town with Independence Fire Department, he arrived on the scene with Mayor Michelle Arnold, who was dressed for the occasion in full elf garb, to light the tree and kick off the night’s activities.
“Hello everybody, we’re glad to have you here” Santa began. “In a time of great joy and a season of good cheer. New faces, old friends, people we love to see. As we all gather together to light our Christmas tree.”
With that, Palmyra’s Christmas tree was lit and the crowd gave a cheer. Mayor Arnold directed everyone to the nearby community center where the night’s festivities were waiting.
Residents filed inside quickly, glad to be out of the cold, and were treated to hot chocolate and cookies by the community center’s local volunteers. Once inside, children met with Santa and made their way around the various activities set up in the center’s gymnasium.
There were games like reindeer ring toss, pin the nose on the snowman and a guessing contest for how many M&Ms were held in a big jar. Tables were also set up where children could design a holiday picture frame or write a note or wishlist to Santa and drop it off at a nearby North Pole mailbox.
Residents Donald and Helena Taylor came to the tree lighting to join their community for the night and so that their young son Donald Jr. could meet Santa. They are a new family and are looking forward to starting new holiday traditions this year. They were grateful for how much the community does for the local children around this time.
“The community is literally all about the holiday spirit. It’s all about the kids and the innocence of Christmas,” said Helena. “You can’t get more of a close knit town than this.”
