We need a Coconut Grove Christmas tree
A couple of friends who live in the Grove called me to tell me how excited they were about Coral Gables' Village of Merrick Park's Christmas tree lighting ceremony last night. They loved the atmosphere, the music, the whole festiveness of it all. Their kids really loved it the most. Here is Merrick Park's Santa arriving last night.I was told that many people there last night were Grovites.
The first of three Snow Days is planned for the Grove for December 5, there will be eight tons of snow in the street, the shops will all be lit up, Santa will arrive, but I don't think there is an actual Christmas tree.
There is talk of lighting the few dying palms in the center triangle at Virginia and Grand, in front of The Bookstore, but we need a huge Grove-style Christmas tree.
City Hall has a Christmas tree and thousands of people come out for their lighting ceremony every year. It could be the free food, but there is music and a ceremony and a whole to do about it. Why not here?
A huge Christmas tree in the center of the village would be perfect. Carollers in costume and music around the Grove all season would be perfect. We are a small village; it would be so nice if we looked like what a small village is supposed to look like at holiday time. We don't.
There was talk of 100 Christmas trees being placed around the village at one point, now there is not even one, except for CocoWalk and Mayfair, which doesn't count since most people don't see them or know they are even there.
posted by Tom Falco at 12:01 PM
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13 Comments:
Below is a link to an old-fashioned Christmas done in a small-town manner. There is no center tree but decorations on lamp posts, costumed hosts, festivities. I was at the Merrick Park event last night and thought it was wonderful. But it was on a "mall property" -- I think if there were a large tree in front of Cocowalk, if there could be a community partnership with them, would be incredible. Like it or not, Cocowalk has more traffic passing by and through than anywhere else.
Visit http://www.fhnonline.org/ for information.
Dickens Downtown An annual Victorian holiday celebration known as Dickens Downtown takes place on the first Tuesday night in December in Downtown Northport. Dickens is a community supported gathering to celebrate the true spirit of Christmas involving Theatre Tuscaloosa performing scenes from "A Christmas Carol", local choirs, the 5th Alabama Regimental Band, a real English Town Crier, father Christmas, and business and neighborhood open houses
CocoWalk has a nice tree, but it is all the way up in the air atop the grand staircase.
It would be nice to have a tree out where people could see it when driving through the Grove, it might encourage them to stop, look and shop. You know, giving them a holiday feel.
I heard that "friend of the Grove" Mayor Tomas Regalado has pledged to donate a Christmas tree to the Grove.
The Grove's long gone Martha McGruder grew up in the Grove. thirty years ago she told me there used to be a tree lighting ceremoney with Christmas carols and all on McFarland Road in the
40's and 50's.
Some friends and I tried to re-create that in '77. We placed a ten-foot tree on the east end of McFarland Road. Kids from CG Ele. made decorations and fake gift boxes for it.
It was nice but I recall that the tree was drawfed by taller trees around it. We weren't able to light it up at night either.
I laud any efforts to create community holiday spirit.
-Glenn Terry
GREAT IDEA TOM!!
and the ornaments can be coconuts!
Ryan
Saratoga Springs NY is having a similar Dickens festival. I love that idea.
http://www.saratoga.com/news/victorian-streetwalk.cfm
And I think there is a day where they go acknowledge that everything is set up as well, maybe light a tree. Lots of specials on the stores all around.
I think RyanStoneMusic's idea about the presents being coconut is great! Children could paint them to look like wrapped presents! (I wanna be a little kid for christmas!!)
It will be awsome to see the Grove with Christmas trees all over!
I like the idea of 100 trees!
This is exactly what the BID should be doing, it's peanuts out of their budget.
Why 100 trees - it isn't even Thanksgiving yet - but then again we have at least 100 turkeys on the street and most of them think they know all the answers and do nothing.
I could not disagree more. It is one thing we do not need. The grove is a creative place and we should be able to creatively express the holiday spirit without a treet.
I think we have all forgotten that we used to do a community tree in front of St. Stephens, most of the organizational entities in the Grove would participate. We would have holiday music on the streets and the area schools performing at CocoWalk, along with the Alhambra Orchestra, Barber Shop quartets. Santa would arrive, why one year he even arrived by sky diving into the Grove. What people do not understand is this does take alot of money and time and decor and initiative to organize. And remember $$$$$ have to be set aside to advertise which is the key.
when exactly does the snow start and what are the other days? This is my first year in the grove and would love to see it. Does anyone know?
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