O Christmas tree’s branches aren’t so lovely anymore, so what are you going to do with all it? You can drag it to the street and wait for trash pickup or take it to the parking lot of St. Mark’s Church and burn it!
On Jan. 10, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church will hosts its Feast of Lights service in which they torch a huge “bonfire” of Christmas trees in the parking lot adjacent to the church at 680 Calder St. at Pearl in downtown Beaumont. It’s free and the community is invited.
This is no weenie roast … it’s a flame with meaning, an inferno of significance.
The annual event scheduled every year on the Sunday closest to the Twelfth Day of Christmas or Jan. 6 marks the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of Epiphany. Epiphany, which means “shining forth,” symbolizes the arrival of the Magi to
visit the Baby Jesus and looks forward to the mission of the church to the world in “light” of the Nativity.
After a Eucharistic service beginning at 6 p.m., the service of lights begins when the artificial lights of the church are lowered. In silence, everyone receives a candle.
An acolyte lights one candle on the end of every pew, and the flame is passed from one to another until everyone in the church has a lit candle. Then the whole “lighted,” silent congregation processes behind a bagpipe player to the stack of Christmas
trees. Once everyone is gathered, on the count of three, the group tosses the candles into the mound of trees, and the trees ignite faster than kids unwrap presents on Christmas morning. Those dead, dry trees nearly explode; they crackle and pop and
light all of downtown Beaumont.
Once the fire dies down and everyone’s hands and hearts are warm, there is a weenie roast! Everyone meanders back over to the church parking lot and roast links and marshmallows and drinks hot chocolate.Between now and Jan. 10, you can take your undecorated tree to the parking lot (next door to Air Comfort) at the corner of Magazine and Pearl and toss it in the middle of the sand ring. Come back on the 10th and watch it light the night sky!
See the published piece here.
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