It didn’t feel like Christmas in Edgartown this weekend, but it certainly did look like Christmas in Edgartown. I don’t remember the trees being up and decorated on Main Street and around town quite so early in December as they were this year. It was truly a delight to see them ready a little sooner as I drove around town last week. And Amelia and I drove through town tonight to look around, and the town is just lovely. The lighthouse was our ultimate destination, and it didn’t disappoint. Never does our little Island look more quaint and special than during the holidays.
Memories can be funny things, can’t they? As many of you know, my mother, Buzzy Gardner, published a book, “The Santa Claus Lady,” before she passed away. It was about her memories of Charlotte Coffin and the gifts she gave to my mother and her siblings during the Christmas season. She knew that my mom’s family didn’t have much, so she always made sure they had something at Christmas, as well as other times throughout the year. Buzzy used her own artwork in the book as well, paintings she did of the town of her youth. And what was front and center in many of the paintings? The green stands that lined Main Street with the Christmas trees each year. I even remember her talking about them as she painted the pictures.
The funny thing about those stands is that I had my own memories of them from my childhood. As a kid, I practically lived at Muskoday Farm for a couple of years, rejoicing in the love of everything horsey, riding with my friends Amy Morgan and Susie Sawyer (Schofield) under the watchful eye of Dorothy Waller, and enjoying the spoilings of Mary “Gram” Waller. We weren’t allowed up in the hay loft, but I do remember climbing up there one day and seeing those same green stands, with their telltale crisscross lattice pattern, laid on their sides stored away safely awaiting the next Christmas season.
When I drive or walk through town during Christmas, I’m brought back to that special time of my childhood, and remember that day like it was yesterday. I’ve shared both stories with my kids, probably more than once, much to their dismay, so that they get a feeling for the tradition of our little town and will have memories of their own of the stands, of Christmas in Edgartown, and of traditions old and new.
By all accounts Christmas in Edgartown was a splendid success. Town was busy. I heard through the grapevine that dinner reservations were gobbled up quickly and were hard to come by by Friday. The parade was as big and festive as I’ve ever seen it. The Edgartown School Craft Fair was a success, with a steady stream of visitors all day. The final tallies won’t be known for a few days, but it seems that the eighth grade had a pretty successful day, selling chowder, hot dogs, and goodies in the gym. Someone did leave behind a treasured Beanie Baby, though. If you got home and found one missing, please let me know! Thanks to all who stopped by and supported our efforts to get to Washington, D.C. We truly appreciate the support of our community!
The RISE VPA holiday show, Season’s Greetings VI, changed venues this year and set up its show at the PAC for the first time. Have holiday show, will travel. I broke my record. Amelia has been dancing with RISE for eight or nine years now, and up until today, I had never seen a recital all the way through from beginning to end. I was always a dance mom, helping either backstage or with various tasks that are required to pull such shows off, seemingly effortlessly. But this afternoon, due to a multitude of factors from having a semi-independent teenager to being too busy as class advisor to be much use anywhere else, to having one arm that is acting up due to old age, I found myself sitting in the PAC watching the afternoon show from beginning to end.
While it was a wee bit uncomfortable for me (Does she need me? Is she ok? What if something goes wrong and she needs my help?), I will say it was a delight to partake in this awesome show, and I was in a much better mood and a holiday frame of mind when we left. The holiday show is extra-special because all proceeds benefit the RISE Above Access Program, which provides dance scholarships to Island children. This year alone RAAP provided over $28,000 in scholarships, allowing kids who might not have the opportunity to dance due to financial constraints to take part. This dance world isn’t an easy way of life, by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve seen firsthand what it can do for one’s grace, poise, strength, and self-esteem. To learn more about RAAP, please contact RISE at 508-693-2262.
I wish you all a peaceful and happy week ahead. Remember, the season isn’t just about gifts. It’s about being present, not giving presents. Love one another. Be kind to each other. Support each other. And not just now, but always. Remember, gratitude turns what we have into enough. There is always something to be thankful for.