Holiday Traditions

We just hosted the Best of Augusta Celebration last night for the first time at Sacred Heart Cultural Center and, from all preliminary reports, it was a success. This is a great relief since most people, myself included, are resistant to change. This year’s event had such a different tone for many reasons, not the least of which was the spectacular ambiance of Sacred Heart. It was light and bright and stunning. Some of the guests even took time away from the delicious food to take photos of the majestic stained glass windows and architectural details of this Augusta treasure.

As we approach the holidays, it occurs to me how prominently Sacred Heart figures as a venue for many seasonal cultural events that have become annual traditions in the city—the Augusta Children’s Chorale’s (celebrating its 20th year) Just Desserts concert and dessert buffet, the Augusta Collegium Musicum’s Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols, the gift shop’s holiday open house and numerous weddings that are so popular during the season. And there are a multitude of other venues and cultural entities that host annual holiday events—some long-favored traditions and others organized more recently. All of them are certain to enrich the spirit of the season. Our Calendar on page 92 is a great guide to the multitude of events just waiting to become part of your own family’s holiday traditions. All the dates of the holiday activities are highlighted in red to make them easy for you to spot.

Under the subject of changes, the holidays at my house have changed considerably over the past few years and not always easily. We are, however,  making progress in finding a new path. We are much less focused on the material aspects of the season and more spontaneous in our holiday activities. Christmas Eve services are still the centerpiece of the evening, but last year’s attendance included friends who decided to come along at the last minute after a whirlwind of cooking, eating and open houses. Not a lot of planning, but all in all it was a joyous evening. Thanksgiving dinner was enjoyed at the table of friends and our Christmas day meal included just Alex and me. Different, yet good.

I expect this year’s holidays will reflect the same sort of spontaneity and we will likely add something or someone new along the way. But the spirit and camaraderie will still be the focus and Christmas Eve services will still be observed.  And after services there’s another tradition that will likely be continued. Alex will open one gift and we’ll watch a Christmas movie while munching on Christmas cookies and sipping a glass of eggnog.

Happy holidays to you and yours.