L&T Publisher Earl Watt
When it comes to the holidays, I’m still a kid at heart. Eating the Thanksgiving Day meal, the excitement of presents under the tree and the celebration of the New Year always spark the joy of my inner child.
There are many other get-togethers around the holiday season that are meaningful including Saturday’s Downtown Christmas Parade. We just celebrated 25 years of sponsoring the downtown event, and the size of the crowd coupled with the increasing quality of the floats are signs that Liberal loves the parade.
If it weren’t for the local businesses, families and organizations who participate, there wouldn’t be a parade.
But each year the floats get better and better, and this year there were several standouts.
For one, the Lanning family continues to set a higher bar year after year, and this year, that was literal. From the Polar Express train a few years ago to the take-off of Santa’s sleigh this year, the Lanning Family Float has become one to see each and every year.
A newcomer this year that also received high marks was Southern Pioneer. Their float featured electric line workers stringing lights from one utility pole to another.
The Eisenhower Middle School Band marched down Kansas Avenue while playing festive holiday music which brings a special touch to the holiday season.
And the list goes on and on for the many special floats and vehicles that made their way down Kansas Avenue.
Some, like Rotary, have been a part of the celebration since it began, and others continue to join the festivities each year.
Yes, we had a slight glitch as to when the parade was going to start, 6 or 6:30 p.m., but other than a few online grinches, most seemed to go with the flow.
To all of you who came up and thanked us for providing the event, we are proud to be a part of Liberal and the High Plains, and we thank all of you who came out to make the night special.
The City of Liberal has added some new decorations around the Downtown fountain, so take a moment to check them out this holiday season.
My earliest memories of Christmas have always centered around the Downtown lights, from the elves working in the window of Chaffin Hardware to the old candy canes and wreaths that used to line the light poles. They have been replaced with newer lights, and thanks to the Liberal Chamber of Commerce, the poles themselves are now decorated throughout the season with their Wrap-A-Lamp event.
Driving down Kansas Avenue at night during the holidays gets you in a festive spirit.
Heather has already been busy at home putting up the indoor decorations, and it is a delight to see so many other homes lit up for the holiday season.
Last week we had the Living Nativity Dinner Theater at the South Church of God, and it always provides a great start to the Christmas season to remember why we celebrate in the first place.
Several people from the community helped make this year happen including Danny Medeiros, Roger Wharran, Jacob Epp and Nicole Isaacs.
The Liberal Cadets had a new activity after the Christmas Parade on Kansas Avenue by hosting an evening of Griff Golf.
In an era where it seems like volunteerism is on the decline and people would much rather provide insults on social media, what is happening in Liberal during the holidays is a great reminder of being thankful, leaning in to our families and friends, and honoring the birth of our lord and savior.
We gather food and presents for those less fortunate, and we put our differences aside and come together for a something bigger than ourselves during the holidays.
Even the crispness in the air doesn’t deter us from the message of hope during this most blessed time of the year.
Truly there is something special right here in Liberal during the holidays.
Just drive up and down some of the residential streets and look at the different holiday displays in the yards and windows.
Trees are going up, and the traditions of each family are on full display.
Yes, you can’t have Christmas without a few grinches, but that’s another message I take from Charlie Brown in the time-honored classic, “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown.” When he is under attack for picking the wrong little tree, he takes it as a challenge to decorate the sapling. Snoopy chips in, and what was a pathetic drooping twig becomes a beautiful Christmas tree.
This holiday season, you can do the same. Don’t let the Scrooges determine your holiday spirit. While some want to turn Thanksgiving into a Day of Mourning and others want to remove the phrase Christmas altogether, just remember the miracle of the birth of a savior in a stable wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Despite his life being dedicated to the salvation of others, he, too, would be vilified.
But he continued to bring tidings of good joy for all people.
As a community, we have a choice to make, too. We can complain about our community, take shots at each other, and make ridiculous comparisons to other communities, or we can see the beauty in the painted windows, we can join in on the many celebrations that take place at our churches and community spaces, we can do something for those in need on our own without it being extracted from us as a tax, and we can pick up the Good Book and read the story in Luke about the birth of Jesus and the promise of everlasting life through him.
We have enjoyed Christmas vacations, but what makes them special is being together as a family.
And while I enjoy those trips, what matters most is the coming together of the family, to share time together right here in what will forever be our home.
Liberal knows how to do the holidays right, and I’m glad to be home for the holidays.
