Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, December 15, 2018

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Mountain View News Saturday, December 15, 2018 

WALKING SIERRA MADRE.. The Social Side By Deanne Davis

SIERRA MADRE CANDLELIGHT WALK
Sunday, December 23rd 7:00 PM


More than forty years ago two wise visionaries, 
Pastor Bob VanderZaag and Pastor Richard 
Anderson “Dick,” felt their community deserved 
a momentous celebration. Maybe they both saw 
the beauty in the small towns that had gathered 
their people together in those many snow filled 
landscapes, huddling meekly in simple rooms, 
where a lone fireplace lent its heat. It was not lost 
on these two Pastors that it was not the splendor 
of the place that mattered but the people 
gathering together that created the collective 
depth to inspire the Spirit of Christmas.

In the Big City, the granting of ones personal space 
and privacy is considered a social politeness. That 
is predictable and understandable. It has remained 
our great fortune that two Pastors understood the 
Social Contract but also understood the human 
heart with a perceptive intuition, and so they did 
not accept the predictable and understandable.

 

In an age of power grids and lavish displays of 
electricity, we have not stolen away the charm 
of candlelight. It remains eternal in its ability to 
inspire reverence, ever vigil in touching our heart 
in its simple and artistic beauty. So it is fitting that 
the light of a star that once guided Three Magi to 
a baby. Has been commemorated in a candlelight 
that guides a community to Christmas.

The Sierra Madre event has commenced in the 
same manner for forty plus years, at the steps of 
Saint Rita Catholic Church. The silence of the 
night is broken in the glorious notes of Christmas 
song. As the gathering people amass at Saint 
Rita’s Church, they begin to light the candles 
within their hand. For those that wait below at 
the bottom of the street, the sea of lights begins its 
slow, picturesque descent down Baldwin Avenue 
until they arrive at Kersting Court. As scripture 
passages are read and the notes of Christmas 
hymns swirl around the nativity scene. 

It is exactly as Linus, instructed Charlie Brown 
on the true meaning of Christmas. For each year 
two local children become Joseph and Mary and 
carry the statue of the baby Jesus and place the 
statue of Jesus in the crèche.

If you desire to touch the true spirit of 
Christmas, there is no finer place to discover 
its heartwarming tones of the season than The 
Sierra Madre Candlelight Walk.

This year's event: Sunday, Dec. 23, 7:00pm. Walk 
begins at St. Rita's Church on N. Baldwin, Sierra 
Madre.

Original story submitted by Craig Hakola; 

Photo Mountain Views News Archives

“That First Noel’s come ‘round again,

Just like it does each year,

To tell us it’s Christmas, finally it’s Christmas, 

Joyfully it’s Christmas, 

The best time of the year, the best time of the 
year...”

This particular song goes on to tell us that the tree 
is in the window, the wreath is on the door, and 
about a million ornaments are scattered on the 
floor! Most probably you’re way past that stage, the 
tree is up and gorgeous. You finally untangled the 
lights and put the angel up on top. But here’s the 
question you’ll be facing in a few days when the 
presents are all unwrapped and everything you got 
everybody fit and was exactly what they wanted! 
Why is it that putting up Christmas decorations, is 
so much more fun than taking them down. Also, 
why is it that the Christmas decorations that seem 
so few and so light as you take them out of the 
basement and up the stairs have doubled (like wire 
hangers) in size and tripled in weight and you can’t 
remember when on earth you carried all those up.

Playing Christmas music and rediscovering each 
cute little Christmas item is such fun and then 
deciding where to put each one is a pleasure. I’m 
especially partial to all my little lighted houses. My 
mother started collecting them many years ago 
and gave her collection to me. I have added to it 
over the years and now think I have about twenty 
of them. They look fantastic on the piano, behind 
the couch and on the maple hutch in the dining 
room. Last year they all stayed in their boxes as 
my best buddy and Christmas decoration admirer 
was spending his first Christmas in heaven. This 
year, I’ve gotten most of them out and they look 
wonderful.

 After much discussion among our adult 
children, I did get out Santa’s Band, which was 
John’s favorite Christmas decoration. Many years 
ago he went to Costco and came home with his 
eyes alight and excitement spilling out of his every 
word as he described this wonderful band of little 
men attached to bells and electrically driven so 
every time you turned it on, it played a Christmas 
carol. They had quite a repertoire and the band 
was led, of course, by Santa. John went to Costco 
several times and came home each time with more 
stories of the glories of Santa’s Band. I finally took 
his hand, looked deep into his eyes and said, “You 
know, honey, you can buy Santa’s Band yourself, 
with your own money!” He had never thought 
of that. Back he went and Santa’s Band decorated 
the top of one of our bookcases every year from 
then on. Yes, it got up there after I spent an hour 
untangling all the wires, bells and little people, 
but he loved it. Apparently, all the children loved 
it, too, and there was lively discussion over who 
should have Santa’s Band. Our daughter, Patti, 
ended up with it and I was happy to hand it over 
and let her untangle all those wires and bells.

 We all have special nostalgic goodies that fill 
our hearts with memories and happy thoughts. 
Pictures of our children taken in Sunday School, 
our grandchildren’s little hands and feet on 
ceramic tiles, tiny felt Christmas stockings with 
everyone’s name on them in glued on glitter. I also 
have little glass ornaments which were my Aunt 
Helen’s, dating from the ‘30s. .

 When we were first married, we rented a lovely 
house with a high beamed ceiling up on Canon 
Drive, right behind where Christian author, 
Fay Angus lived, and when our first Christmas 
together arrived, I was about hysterical with 
excitement. We went down to the railroad yards 
where trains were coming in from wherever they 
loaded on those trees, I have a feeling it was the 
Pacific Northwest. Railroad workers pitched them 
off the cars and anyone who was standing there 
could pick out whatever tied-up tree they wanted. 
I don’t remember it costing very much. We 
selected an enormous Noble fir and tied it to the 
top of our little blue Ford Falcon. Got it home and 
it had to have been ten feet tall or taller and was 
the most gorgeous thing we’d ever seen. We had 
just a few things to put on it, but it was our tree and 
our home and our children opened presents under 
it and I will remember always what a wonderful 
time that was. 

The song up at the beginning goes on to say:

 

“But that’s not the reason we celebrate the season...

Oh, it’s that baby in the manger,

Christ child in the manger,

Mary kneeling by his side,

Joseph beaming down with pride.

Peace on earth, good will to men,

We celebrate that night again.”

I’m hoping all your Christmas memories are merry 
and bright! To quote Tiny Tim from Dickens’ A 
Christmas Carol, “God Bless us every one!”

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

 “Star of Wonder – A Christmas Story”

Is available there. This is a wonderful Christmas 
Love Story...trust me!

Star of Wonder the CD is now on TuneCore! 
Featuring this song! Take a look!

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

 Follow me on Twitter, too! https://twitter.com/@
playwrightdd


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com