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The residents of Golf Course Acres Subdivision will have their annual Lights for Jesus Celebration on Sunday, December 16, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Five thousand luminaries will line the streets with an estimated 150 homes expected to participate in the annual celebration, which began 45 years ago as a project by the Golf Course Acres Children’s Bible Club.
Some of those children, who are now parents, and their children are taking part in the lighting.
We applaud the Golf Course Acres neighborhood for keeping the Christmas tradition alive. There is value in getting groups of neighbors together in the same place to celebrate the same thing, but in these times, it’s more important than ever to not take such events for granted.
Also, the annual Christmas parade will take place Saturday evening – another holiday tradition. A number of churches in the area are having special events to celebrate the Christmas season. Blue Springs Christian Church will have a live nativity Dec. 15 and 16. First Baptist and First United Methodist choirs will come together Dec. 17 for a joint service at 7 p.m., plus a number of churches in the community plan Christmas Eve services and caroling.
Whether you believe in the Christian faith or not, the message of hope and redemption is a compelling one. Christmas is the culmination of a holiday season that, despite the hype and commercialism, touches hearts and minds in a way that cuts across religious lines, more so than any other holiday we celebrate in America. It has for generations come to represent a special time of giving, of caring not only for ourselves and our own families but also others in need. It is a special time for our children and a poignant time to remember our own childhoods. The memories we make at this time last far into the year after the season has passed.
In addition to the many celebrations, volunteers will feed and support the needy. This week, several children were chosen to Shop With A Cop – an annual event. Also, local realtors shopped for Christmas Angels, sponsored by the Salvation Army. It’s a giving time, when we think of those who are less fortunate and the need to share.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could be giving people all year long?
Also this Christmas season, many, many prayers will be spoken in hopes that peace, love, and compassion among us all in this troubled world will be embraced anew.
Such is the powerful legacy to the multitude of generations that have come after that one which witnessed the extraordinary birth in Bethlehem which is what Christmas is all about. It was a birth that made the world a different place.
We encourage readers to keep an eye out for upcoming events near them ahead of Christmas – including those previewed in the STAR, and to consider helping maintain a sense of community and tradition by attending one or volunteering to help.