4 Dec, 2009
Christmas Without A Tree?
In some cities, this Christmas comes without tree
FRESNO, Calif. – It's beginning to look a lot like ... any other day.
In some cities and towns across America, tight budgets have become a cruel Grinch, forcing drastic cutbacks in the municipal holiday displays and celebrations that people have enjoyed for generations.
The second Christmas since the financial meltdown is coming without the ribbons, holly, wreaths and bows. It's coming without lights, decorated lamp posts and parades. Trees with all the trimmings have either been shrunken down or eliminated entirely.
"It's just so sad. Why not put a little holiday spirit into us?" said Joan Wilson, a part-time receptionist, bemoaning the decision in Fresno to forgo the rite of December in which thousands of residents gather for the lighting of a six-story tree freshly cut from the nearby Sierra Nevada mountains.
The decision to call off the ceremony was just the latest disappointment for an impoverished region already battered by drought, recession and the housing crisis. Fresno's unemployment is nearly 16 percent, almost 6 percentage points higher than the national average.
But after city layoffs and the prospect of a $28 million budget shortfall, spending public time and money on a tree would only cause more financial hardship.
"We're trying to be good fiscal stewards," Fresno spokesman Randy Reed said. "We have to use our resources more appropriately."
In Chicago, the $350,000, 56-foot blue spruce in Daley Plaza would be dwarfed by last year's tree, which stood 90 feet tall and cost more than $1 million.
Critics have described the new tree as "shabby." City officials said they also saved money by lighting it on the day before Thanksgiving, breaking the 55-year tradition of doing so on the following day, which is more crowded.
The tree at the South Carolina Statehouse is 6 feet shorter than in the past, competing in stature with the Confederate soldiers' monument on the capitol's front lawn.
"We've got to be a little more careful with our money," said Jane Suggs with the Columbia Garden Club, which has been erecting the tree along one of the city's busiest streets for several years.
In Orlando, Fla., officials decided to leave 800 lamppost trees in storage so they could cut $250,000 in setup and electricity costs. When the city also snuffed out plans for its downtown tree, someone quickly donated two of them, including a 31-footer from a North Carolina farm that private companies pitched in to transport and set up.
But instead of standing at Orlando City Hall, the larger tree is in a downtown park next to the ice-skating rink. Volunteers and the Orlando Magic basketball team are helping to decorate it this weekend.
"The holiday spirit came out in people right away," said Heather Allebaugh, spokeswoman for Mayor Buddy Dyer. "These are things that give you hope during the holidays."
Full story found at news.yahoo.com. Photo found at images.google.com.
Luke 2:8-20 (NLT)
The Shepherds and Angels
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
What does God's Story teach us about announcing Christmas?
How are you decorating for Christmas this year? Are you, or have you, set up a Christmas Tree? Does your family hang lights outside of the house? Wreaths? Or maybe even the inflatable decorations? Are you sending Christmas Cards? There are so many ways to express our celebration this time of year.
But how do you express God's Story of sending His Son into this sinful world as a baby in a manger during the other eleven months of the year? How are you doing at staying focused on the true meaning of Christmas this year?
- Thank God for sending Jesus into this world to be our Savior.
- Ask God for opportunities to share His Christmas Story with some friends this month.
- Talk with your parents about some of the decorating traditions that you keep as a family. Ask them the story behind some of those traditions.
- If you've already decorated for Christmas, think of some ways that you might use those decorations to begin conversations with a friend about God's Story.
- Get some Christmas cards that convey the true meaning of Christmas and pass them out to teachers and friends at school, people in your neighbor hood, or maybe even a local nursing home.
- Is there a local, outdoor Christmas light display in your area? Invite some friends to go check it out. Then head to a local restaurant afterward and talk about the lights and the star that lit up the sky when Jesus came into the world.
- Whatever you do, don't be content to let Christmas look like just any other day of the year.
- February 2012 [5]
- January 2012 [18]
- December 2011 [20]
- November 2011 [15]
- October 2011 [15]
- September 2011 [14]
- August 2011 [22]
- July 2011 [19]
- June 2011 [21]
- May 2011 [20]
- April 2011 [20]
- March 2011 [21]
- February 2011 [20]
- January 2011 [21]
- December 2010 [21]
- November 2010 [21]
- October 2010 [21]
- September 2010 [22]
- August 2010 [21]
- July 2010 [22]
- June 2010 [20]
- May 2010 [18]
- April 2010 [21]
- March 2010 [23]
- February 2010 [19]
- January 2010 [22]
- December 2009 [22]
- November 2009 [21]
- October 2009 [22]
- September 2009 [21]
- August 2009 [20]
- July 2009 [21]
- June 2009 [22]
- May 2009 [18]
- April 2009 [15]
- March 2009 [7]
- February 2009 [17]
- January 2009 [20]
- December 2008 [23]
- November 2008 [19]
- October 2008 [22]
- September 2008 [22]
- August 2008 [19]
- July 2008 [22]
- June 2008 [11]
- May 2008 [19]
- April 2008 [22]
- March 2008 [21]
- February 2008 [18]
- January 2008 [20]
- December 2007 [18]
- November 2007 [15]
- October 2007 [19]
- September 2007 [18]
- August 2007 [12]
- July 2007 [12]
- June 2007 [9]
- May 2007 [11]
- April 2007 [10]
- March 2007 [11]
- February 2007 [14]
- January 2007 [7]
- December 2006 [4]
- November 2006 [13]
- October 2006 [17]
- September 2006 [11]
- August 2006 [16]
- July 2006 [10]
- June 2006 [3]
