“Away in the manger, no crib for his bed
The little lord Jesus lay down his sweet head
The stars in the sky look down where he lay
The little lord Jesus, asleep on the hay”
While I don’t consider myself religious, I was raised Catholic, and Christmas is my favorite time of year. The religious carols tend to be my favorite, and I have “Away in the Manger”, “Hark the Harold Angels Sing”, and “Joy to the World” on repeat. And increasingly I’m finding our visit to the Apostolic Faith Trinity Church’s Festival of Lights one of my favorite events during the holiday season.
We drive by this seemingly simple church every day on our way to and from school. So when we see all the lights up and lit, we know that the Festival of Lights is around the corner. The festival is a weekend long event the church holds for the community. There is a bouncy house, a hay ride, and petting zoo for the kids. At regular intervals they have choirs singing, and a bell choir performance. And inside there is a story hour and puppet show for the kids, as well and cookies, popcorn, hot chocolate and coffee for all.
Once out of the parking lot you are directed through a tunnel of color lights that dazzles the eyes
The lights take over the whole yard, strung from every tree and surface, giving a heavenly outline to all that surrounds you
There are depictions of the majestic birth everywhere. From a manger outside to a beautiful artistic silhouette inside.
There is a ton to see and do outside. The hay ride is always a favorite, but the bouncy house and singing choirs also draw quite a crowd.
The petting zoo lets the little ones think about the animals who surrounded baby Jesus. A good mix of sleeping pigs, hungry goats, and soft rabbits.
Need to get warm? Inside you’ll find a puppet show about the littlest angel who always took the jobs no one wanted, and ended up with the most important, protecting baby Jesus, and story time to learn about the season of giving from a favorite, the Bernstein Bears.
Nothing says church and Christmas quite like a bell choir. As the conductor said, “Imagine that I gave each of you a personal keyboard, but it only played two notes. And then I told all of you, play a song for me”. Bell choir is a beautiful art of playing one note, but all working together to create a fabulous melody. Listening to “Joy to the World” on bells is an experience everyone should have.
While it’s easy to get caught up in Santa, presents, and the latest Star Wars movie, it’s important to remember the more important lessons of Christmas – of joy, faith, hope, and the pleasure of giving those to others. That is what is truly what makes this season magical. And the Apostolic Faith Trinity Church does a wonderful job of reminding us of just that message.
From my family to yours, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
