Sandy Hook Tree Lighting Launches The Holiday Season

By Kendra Bobowick

The Sandy Hook Tree Lighting drew crowds of families out on a crisp evening December 2 where children sipped warmed cider and sent tendrils of cinnamon-scented breath into the air.

Younger children crowded around a freeze-dried snow (cotton candy) machine where their lips soon were stained with red, sweet evidence of a holiday treat. The tree lighting on the corner of Washington Avenue and Church Hill Road drew revelers into The Little Green Barn for warmth and to shop for holiday memorabilia while waiting for the nearby tree on the brick walkway outside to light.

With a glint of mischief in her eye as bright as the twinkling of her gemstones was “Auntie Claus” Helen Andrews, who batted her long, black lashes at the children. Adding to the festive spirit was a DJ, Gary Shipp, spinning Christmas carols and later inviting groups to the microphone for sing-alongs. As people packed the luminary-lined sidewalks and traffic crept past, the crowd spilled into the street where many onlookers stood on the facing hillside for a better view.

 Fathers with children on their shoulders, and mothers and children all wearing Santa hats began to gather at dusk. Liam Kilmurray, Lisa Schack, and Carolann Schack strolled past the bags containing lighted candles lining the curb and donned their festive caps as they approached the crowded corner. Wearing a long, red coat was Emma Rae Filgate who snuggled against her dog, Argus.

Waiting for the carolers to quiet as the countdown began, still more guests arrived just in time. Wearing their Santa suits and rounding the corner were Meg Tinsley and Bill Fredericks from The Hair Co. At precisely 6 pm, just after counting backward from ten, the lights lit up the corner and sent a pale glow across the faces of those closest to the tree.

Drivers passing between the church and store on the corner of Washington Avenue since the weekend will see the vertical rows of lights illuminating one prominent tree set back from the road. The lighting ceremony followed the afternoon’s Sandy Hook Farmers’ Market Holiday Fair. (See related story.)