“It’s
better to light just one little candle than to stumble in the dark, better far
that you light just one little candle, all you need’s a tiny spark. If we’d all
say a prayer that the world would be free, the wonderful dawn on the new day
we’ll see, and if everyone lit just one little candle, what a bright world this
would be.”
~“One Little Candle”
~ recorded by Perry Como, 1952 and the theme
song of “The Christophers,” whose motto is, “It’s better to light one candle
than to curse the darkness.”
Let the Christmas season begin! A charming
horse-drawn carriage makes its way through Centre Square as part of the
festivities leading up to the lighting of The Easton Peace Candle November 30,
2019 in Easton, Pennsylvania.
The base of the Peace Candle can be seen
at right, and to the left the Easton Municipal Band plays Christmas music to
enhance the merry mood, including the bouncy “Christmas in Killarney,” which
made me want to dance an Irish jig down Northampton Street, if I knew how!
The
Easton Peace Candle is a tower-like structure erected every Christmas season in
Easton. The approximately 106-foot tall structure, which resembles a giant
candle, is assembled every year over the Soldier’s & Sailor’s Monument, a
Civil War memorial in Centre Square. It is typically assembled in mid-November
and lighted over Thanksgiving weekend and disassembled in early February each
year.
The
Peace Candle was first erected in 1951, and has been erected almost every year
since then, having been replaced a few times due to damage or disrepair. It is
dedicated to the Easton area men and women who have served or are serving in
the United States armed forces.
It
has been said to be the largest non-wax Christmas candle in the country.
Although conceived with the hopes of restoring Easton’s pre-20th
century reputation for elaborate Christmas decorations, city officials also
believed a candle would serve as a symbol of peace for all religions and
denominations.
The
daylong festivities leading up to the evening lighting also included strolling
street performers, ice carvers, pictures with Santa, a petting zoo, pony rides,
moon bounce, gingerbread houses on display and an array of crafts and yummy
treats available for purchase. The SwingTime Dolls, an all-female vocal group consisting of three
of the area’s most accomplished vocalists that shine a new light on the tunes
of the American Hit Parade of the 1940s and beyond, also performed, drawing on
inspiration from The Andrews Sisters.
