On Friday evening last week in between the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) and Rosa Parks Circle, a mass of a few hundred people congregated together to join in the celebration of the holiday season.
The tree lighting ceremony, a local favorite event, has been a great way for the community to bring itself together and spread all the love and values that embody this time of year. Indeed, people from all over, including students from Grand Valley State University (GVSU), made the trip to the center of downtown. According to GVSU senior Sarah Schmidt the main reason she decided to go to the event was because, "I wanted to spend time with my friends. The holiday season can be very busy and I think it is really important to slow down and enjoy these types of events with your friends."
That sentiment about the emotion that this time of the year can evoke is an important thing to remember especially after many recent events, such as the outcome of the Presidential election. Because of the election, many families have been in discord, so it is important that regardless of political views that anger is subdued or pushed away and not allowed to tear the holiday spirit apart. It is due to heated emotions like those caused by this election that make it imperative that events like the Tree Lighting Ceremony continue to happen. Because events like this are able to remind people that the whole purpose of this time of the year is to be thankful. That this time of the year is the time to be thankful for families, for friends, for children, for neighbors, and to be thankful to just be alive and to have the ability to be generous and give back.
This event is also an ingenious way to get people who may not feel as included or a part of the community together. During the holiday season it can be a hard time for students who are away from home. So for these students to have the opportunity to celebrate, be merry, and feel a part of something larger than themselves is a great way for them to open up and warm to the Grand Rapids community.
In Schmidt's opinion, "My favorite part of the event was seeing the joy on everyone's faces as they gathered together to kick off the holidays. Families, friends, and children alike were able to relate to the event and enjoy it. This was the first annual tree lighting event that I had gone too, and I would like to go again. We did not ice skate because the free ice skating was just for children, and the line was very long. We did however enjoy the rest of the activities, and took a photo with Santa!"
It is the simple things in life, such as celebrating the beauty and vibrancy that Winter and the holidays can give, that truly makes living in Grand Rapids especially lovely. It shows people the true importance of community and fellowship, the generosity of the human spirit, the capacity for unconditional love, and that the Winter blues do not need to get you down. Through this event the Grand Rapids community was able to have a successful kickoff to the holidays that was a resounding success!
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