Well those customs are evidently history.
Christmas trees were up in the stores before Halloween, and the twinkling lights started spreading through our communities like wildfire. Exterior Christmas lighting was up before the rotting pumpkins were removed from the porches. Great Pumpkin inflatables were replaced by snowmen before the Pilgrims even thought of a menu for Thanksgiving.
Luckily, some things haven’t changed.
New Carlisle and Enon will be formally kicking off the holiday season during this first weekend of December as they always do.
New Carlisle will light its Christmas tree at 7 p.m. on Friday at the corner of Main and Washington streets.
Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. Santa will arrive at the Andy Barnhart Memorial Airport just east of New Carlisle on Route 571. As always kids of all ages are invited to meet Santa’s airplane.
Santa will then take his place of honor in New Carlisle’s 37th Annual Christmas Parade, which begins at 10 a.m. near the First Methodist Church.
The Tecumseh Arrows Marching band will play Christmas music as it leads Santa through New Carlisle’s beautifully decorated downtown. Large inflatables, costumed cartoon characters, and participants in the Holiday Costume Contest will escort Santa to the firehouse at 315 North Church Street.
At the firehouse, Santa will visit with the young folks while parents take lots of photos. The band will have a mini-concert in front of the firehouse. Prizes will be awarded in the costume contest.
Hopefully Santa will find a few minutes to catch a nap after all the New Carlisle activities before his next big event of the day in Enon.
At the Enon Log Cabin, next to the Adena Mound, Christmas caroling led by the Greenon Choir will begin at 6:45 p.m.
Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive at 7 p.m., but no one will tell me how they are arriving. The red velvet-clad couple always surprises the residents of Enon with a unique mode of transportation. This is always the hot topic of conversation as the crowd waits and kids keep watch. How will they arrive this year?
Enon’s Citizen of the Year will light the community tree. Then Santa and Mrs. Claus will go into the Enon Log Cabin sit by the cheerful fire in the stone hearth. Families, children, and parents will line up outside the cabin for their visits with Santa.
According to Enon tradition, only one family at time will be in the cabin with Santa. Parents may take their own photos.
In the Mike Berry Research Center, all are invited to have cocoa and cookies. Pint jars of Enon’s famous apple butter will be on sale.
An extra kettle of apple butter was cooked recently over an open fire to have this treat available for Christmas meals and gift giving. This will be on sale with other unique items in the gift shop.
Throughout the season various local shops will have open houses. Please make an effort to do some of your Christmas shopping locally to help keep our businesses strong. And don’t forget to get some gift certificates from our wonderful restaurants and salons.
Let the holiday season begin!
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