Chilson Christmas Tree Program highlights

TICONDEROGA | On Sunday, Dec. 21, a tradition dating back to 1897 was resurrected. In a little chapel on top of Chilson Hill, local residents gathered to witness the beloved "Christmas Tree Program" take center stage once again after a nearly 20-year lapse. And though the board of the Chilson Community Founders Association didn't know what to expect heading into the afternoon, the standing-room-only event proved that the Christmas Tree had been fondly remembered and sorely missed. The Christmas Tree was- and is- a perfect representation of true community, with roots that run deep within Ti's hamlet. "The Christmas Tree has spanned so many generations," revealed Founders Vice President Shari O'Bryan. "My mom participated (her mother before her), my brother and I, my two girls, and now my grandchildren have become part of this seemingly insignificant small program. They now have become part of the shared stories of this longstanding Chilson tradition." The Christmas Tree was an ongoing yearly event in which everyone in the Chilson community, and even Ti, attended. Throughout the years from 1900 through the 1960s, most children in Chilson, regardless of what church they attended or were affiliated with, participated in the annual Christmas Tree. Led by Reverend Dave Hirtle of Crown Point Congregational Church, the Christmas Tree featured a handful of brave young souls spanning in ages from two to 11 "said their pieces," meaning they committed to memory brief little Christmas passages (no easy feat, mind you), and delivered them to the full room. Some experienced a little stage fright, of course, but all participants were greeted with resounding applause for just making the trip up to the front of the chapel. During the recitations, Founders Secretary Margaret Wood Lauman sat in the old familiar pews and took a moment to reflect on the scene before her, and of many similar scenes long behind her. "I was thinking that my grandfather, Fred Stowell, as a boy, stood and said his piece in the church," she reflected. "My mother did too, as did my brother Rob, niece Carrie, and now my great-niece, Addy, five generations later was doing the same thing. There is something to be said about that long tradition. I loved it." This year's Christmas Tree participants were Finley Ott, William Kubat, Adelaide Woods, Jack Kubat, Piper Ott, and Ruby Ott. Chris and Tom Lapointe, Dave Bevins, Andy Gorton and Ralph Lane provided a musical intermission, and as the sun set west over Putt's Pond, the chapel grew a little dimmer, cozier, and an invisible haze of positive energy suspended itself in the air. "I loved seeing the little chapel's pews full, and I loved all the music," O'Bryan said. "It brought me back to a lot of earlier Christmas Tree nights." The Founders intend on continuing annually with the program, hoping that more community members will be interested in supporting the tradition. "There are many living here that remember the way that I do," O'Bryan said. For more information on the church, the Founders, or to learn how to make a tax-deductible donation to the preservation and continued use of the Chilson Chapel, please reach out to Lois Gunning at 518-585-4470 or Margaret Lauman at 518-585-9133. Follow the Founders at www.facebook.com/ChilsonFounders.

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Chilson Christmas Tree Program highlights

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