Celebrate the Holidays with First Church in a Different Way

As with many other time honored traditions, it is with heavy hearts that the church leadership and long time members of the Christmas Fair committee at the First Congregational Church announce that there will be no Christmas Fair this year. The annual event has signaled the start of the Christmas season for many and has always been a day of joy, love and spirit. Restrictions that have been necessary to keep our community safe will impact so many in our community this year. While we all will feel some natural sadness and loss around missing some of our favorite annual customs, the hope at First Congregational Church is that we can embrace new opportunities to welcome different traditions that lift our spirits during Advent and the months to come.

Hoping to provide some Christmas excitement for all community members in a different way, First Congregational Church has been planning for safer ways to celebrate the season. In addition to a weekly advent candle lighting on the green and a special outdoor “Journey to Bethlehem” interactive event on Christmas Eve, the church has also organized a town wide “Light up the Season” scavenger hunt for candles. At the beginning of each week, starting November 29th, a new set of clues will be released to anyone in the community who wants to join the hunt. The clues will lead participants to find beautifully decorated candles at parishioner’s homes, each displaying a word of the season. At the conclusion of the 4 weeks of Advent, participants may submit their answers to be entered in a drawing for prizes. Lucky winning participants will also have the opportunity to give back to the community by choosing a local non-profit to receive a donation made by the church in their name. Sharing of pictures of the fun along the way is encouraged!

There are many ways to continue to spread the Christmas spirit in our community in different ways that honor the traditions we have held so dear. Delivering spirit filled gifts of thanks to essential workers in our community, donating groceries to the food pantry or supporting those who may be struggling this year with something as simple as a batch of cookies are all ways we can contribute. The Christmas Fair coordinators are hopeful that families in Cheshire will make this season meaningful for those in need instead of attending their annual event. This year, that community spirit of the fair will be found lighting up houses all around the town!

In order to participate or for more information on the candle scavenger hunt, go to: www.firstcheshire.org/candles.