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Holiday Season Rings In With Toyland And Tree Lighting
By Keith Hagarty
With a seasonal chill in the air expected to swoop in this weekend, the township is optimistic Mother Nature will cooperate in making this weekend's holiday festivities one of the best ever.
The holidays mean different things to different people, but for Township Recreation Director Anne Alberta it's about something indescribable and magical.
"It has such a special meaning for me because it's something that's not tangible," said Alberta. "It's about the spirit of everyone coming together. It's such a wonderful thing. You can feel it in the air, you really can."
The holiday event will begin at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 2, and Sunday, December 3, with a concert in the main meeting room of the municipal building with holiday melodies from the Jackson Council for the Civic Arts chorus, directed by Marge Eisenschmied.
"She likes to make sure that everyone's included, so this year she's doing from one
end of the spectrum to the other," Alberta
said of Eisenschmeid's musical selections. "So this year she's going to be doing such
songs as 'We Need a Little Christmas' from 'Auntie Mame,' she's doing 'African Noel,' she's doing songs for Hanukkah-it's to bring the whole community together with a whole bunch of different types of songs so it would spark the interest of everyone in the community for the holiday."
After the concert, everyone will gather outside on the back lawn of the building to prepare for the countdown to the lighting of the Christmas tree with holiday tunes from the Jackson Memorial High School's Jackson Jaguar Marching Band and a special visit from Santa Claus.
After the tree lighting ceremony is concluded, all those in attendance are welcome to come back inside the municipal building for refreshments and children's visit with Santa.
Even before the night time tree lighting at the municipal building, Jackson's holiday festivities will begin earlier in the morning at 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and again on Sunday with the annual Toyland held at the Melvin Cottrell Senior Center.
"(The volunteers) get dressed up and act like toyland characters," said Alberta. "It's adorable."
The actors are members of the Twilighters, a senior amateur performing group, playing the roles of some classic holiday and fairytale characters. The event transforms the senior center into a full-scale theme village, including Scrooge's house, a model train display, a doll's house, Cinderella's castle, Granny and Grandpa's Place, Bear Mountain, Peace on Earth and the North Pole with appearances by Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, refreshments, holiday crafts available for purchase and much more.
The seniors ask that those attending also bring a donation for the sponsors of the event, The Salvation Army.
Having both events take place the same weekend early in December was done with the residents and their busy schedules in mind, allowing attendees to enjoy both holiday celebrations within walking distance of each other.
"It just warms my heart when people come up to me and say 'now it's a tradition' here in Jackson, especially since the community has grown so much," said Alberta. "It's such a family outing and always brings a lot of smiles, which is really nice," she said.
For more information about Toyland, call the senior center at 732-928-2313, or for more information about the tree lighting festivities, call 732-928-1200 ext. 253.
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