The City of Baldwin held its Christmas tree lighting and celebration Friday night for the first time since 2019, with the COVID-19 pandemic putting holiday festivities to a halt last year. This year, the city came back to holiday fun “with a bang.”
“Last year was a huge disappointment,” Baldwin Councilwoman Alice Venter tells Now Habersham. “We could not have anyone present for our Christmas tree lighting, but especially [not] having the elementary students come and perform for us [was disappointing]. They really look forward to that every year.”
While citizens enjoyed Baldwin Elementary School’s Christmas carols and the lighting of the tree, the event wasn’t just about those Baldwin Christmas traditions. Kids and grown-ups wrote Christmas cards for seniors living at the Scenic View assisted living facility in Baldwin, making sure elderly citizens who didn’t have the means to go out and enjoy Christmas events felt the love and joy of the season.
“There’s no doubt that it’s always heartwarming,” Venter said. “We’re a small community, and bringing everyone together and seeing them enjoy each other again is all about the Christmas spirit.”
As children met Santa, ate cookies and candy, played and marveled at Christmas lights, Venter reflected on how important togetherness is to the Baldwin community.
“The kids look forward to this, and as you can see, they’re just super excited,” Venter said. “There’s lots of really good energy that we really missed last year, so we’re really in with a bang this year.”
