Globe Syndicate
for release Friday December 5, 2003
Another Way
by Melodie Davis
Huzzah! A King is Born
Ever since our daughter first experienced the “Grand Illumination” which takes
place in Colonial Williamsburg, Va. in early December, she wanted us to come to
Williamsburg for the annual tradition. This was when she was a freshman at the
College of William and Mary there, and she was delighted not only with the
fireworks and colonial surroundings, but groups of carolers informally
entertaining on the streets. So we penciled it in on our calendar for at least
two years, but it never suited. Finally when she was a senior last year, we made
it to Williamsburg.
It was the highlight of my Christmas but not so much because of the fireworks or
the historical setting.
The village was indeed enchanting: costumed workers from Colonial Williamsburg
lit bright pitch pine fires in iron bowls on poles known as “cressets.” It was
the only light for the massing crowd (estimated annually to be around
30,000-35,000). The cressets once served as a town’s only streetlights. Smoke
curled up in the night air. It was easy to imagine Thomas Jefferson or Patrick
Henry scuttling off to some meeting or tavern. Candelights appeared in most
windows. Musicians, including choral groups from the College, lute players, and
the fife and drum core entertained the crowds waiting for the fireworks from
four different performance stages. The annual celebration, which began there in
1935, is also celebrated in other cities and is an adaptation of a common
practice during the 1700’s.
But the truly inspiring aspect of the celebration was not just the wonderful
atmosphere. From the stage near the location where we were standing, the master
of ceremonies explained that the idea of a Grand Illumination came from long ago
times when a king would have a fireworks display at the birth of a new king. It
was a way for ordinary working people to celebrate extraordinary events. The
master of ceremonies added, “And this is a Grand Illumination for the birthday
of the King of Kings!”—an unmistakable reference to the birthday of Jesus.
I quickly glanced around me. This was your typical secular milling crowd of
townspeople, tourists, college students. I batted back a tear: Yes, happy
birthday, King of Kings! What a celebration. I’m told that sometimes the crowd
is coaxed into yelling “Huzzah!” which in colonial times was a way of saying
“Hooray!”
The musicians got the crowd near us to join in singing, “Joy to the World” and
“Amazing Grace,” explaining the historical nature of both songs which originally
had different tunes. The leader had us sing the different tune, too. Again, I
was a little amazed when most of the people around us knew the words to both
songs, even beyond the first verse. Yes, the songs are well-known, but so is our
society’s religious diversity and our (commendable) inclination to not offend
others’ religious views.
I mentioned this to my daughter and she replied, “Well, the early Williamsburg
society was quite Christian. There was little else in terms of religion. If they
want it to be true to the times, then it is appropriate.”
It is also appropriate to keep Christmas as a Christian holiday, even though it
has been so secularized that it is difficult for many people to sort out the
secular from the Christian.
Is it about Santa or Jesus? I know there are arguments and reasons to keep the
Santa story alive for children as a way of encouraging a giving heart and
reminding us of God’s generous gift to us in the form of baby Jesus. But the
Santa story can feel cruel to children who don’t understand why their friend got
10 gifts from Santa and they only got three, or one. One single mother who was
struggling mightily with money, was confronted with this question by her son.
She tried to console him with, “Well, parents have to pay Santa for the gifts
and we just didn’t have enough money.” Each family can decide how to handle
Santa, but make sure children know it all started with baby Jesus.
Someone has pointed out that it can be hard to find Christmas cards that talk
about the nativity event, rather than a generalized “Christmas Cheer” or the
even more innocuous, “Seasons Greetings.” Again, while it is laudable to try to
avoid offending others by pushing Christian beliefs on them, Christmas is a time
to say, “This is a Christian celebration and holiday and we would like to keep
that focus.” Huzzah! We can at the same time send others good wishes on their
appropriate holidays
For your free Christmas gift from Another Way, write for our calendar. Send to:
Melodie Davis, Another Way c/o Name\Address of YOUR newspaper; or e-mail:
Melodie@mennomedia.org.
You can also visit Another Way on the Web at www.thirdway.com.
Melodie Davis is the author of seven books and has written her column since
1987. She taught feature writing and has won awards from the National Federation
of Press Women, Virginia Press Women and the American Advertising Association.
She and her husband have three daughters.
NOTES TO EDITORS: text = 780 words; end material = 105 words
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©2003 by Globe Syndicate, all rights reserved.