The ceremony to officially kick off Bethlehem’s holiday season begins at 5 p.m. Nov. 18 (the Friday before Thanksgiving). Guests will enjoy hot chocolate, a chance to meet Santa, and the “Not-So-Silent-Night” Christmas concert. The concert includes the Freedom High School Marching Band, Swingtime Dolls, the Holmes Family Singers, Seth Witcher and Cunningham & Associates.

During the event, the committee will unveil the holiday trellis. This year’s display features custom engraved ornaments featuring the beloved Moravian tradition of placing lit candles in windows. The ornament theme is celebrating life’s milestones. Some honor marriages, new babies, new homes, and new careers.

Downtown Bethlehem Association Director Kelly Smith said, “We’re just a blink away from the most wonderful time of the year and we can’t wait to see the community come together to deck the halls.”

Volunteers Needed

Volunteers have always been an important part of Bethlehem’s Christmas activities. The Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce notes, “In the 1960s the nonprofit Citizens Christmas City Committee (of the Chamber of Commerce) was formed to help dignify the look of Christmas in the City of Bethlehem while at the same time absorbing a share of the costs of bringing Christmas to the public. The Committee continues to raise the funds every year to purchase over 800 trees that are lit during the Christmas season.”

Decades earlier, volunteers worked with The Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce to help the city earn the “Christmas City” title. The Chamber website explains, “In 1937, The Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce started a nationwide letter writing effort to 2,500 [other] chambers asking each of them to notify their local newspapers of the campaign to make Bethlehem, Pennsylvania the ‘Christmas City.’ It was suggested that people throughout the country send their Christmas cards to Bethlehem to receive the ‘Christmas City’ cancellation. Most of the chambers participated and more than 185,000 pieces of mail inundated the Bethlehem Post Office.”

This year, the Chamber has opportunities for volunteers to set up and decorate, hand out programs and treats, serve as candy helpers and Santa’s elves, and more.

Event sponsorship opportunities are also available. Individuals or organizations interested in sponsoring the holiday fun should email Brittneyc@lehighvalleychamber.org for more information.

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