BRISTOL, Va. – “Put ‘em up like the stars in the sky, I told them. Any fool can climb up and wrap a string of lights around the tree. But not us, we made them twinkle like the stars.”
Nancy Marney recounts the first downtown Bristol Christmas tree lighting, 29 years ago, with a sort of bemused nostalgia. Back then, the tree in Cumberland Square Park was 16 feet tall when she planted it herself. Now it’s over 40. Back then, there were 1,000 lights. Now there are 18,000.
It was before they learned to tape the connections together so the plugs would not pull apart in the breeze, before wind ripped giant holes in Bristol’s Christmas tree, before it became a city staple.
“This really means something to people,” Marney said. “It’s a simple tradition, very simple. And people know they can count on it.”
In 1980, Marney set off on a personal mission to make the first Monday after Thanksgiving a day to mark on the calendar and enlisted Bristol Virginia Utilities to help her string the lights on a tree in Cumberland Square Park.
Mike and Candy Ellis brought their newborn, John, to that first tree lighting. They’ve missed only one year since, and Tuesday evening, John Ellis, now 29, served hot chocolate and passed out cookies at the event.
“Traditions are important, especially in a town this size,” Mike Ellis said. “There’s a lot of familiar faces, it’s good to see the same people year after year. The little kids have grown up a little, but it’s always been about the spirit of Christmas.”
Many fear that Bristol’s fabled Norwegian spruce is on its death bed – with massive holes from wind damage.
Since Marney handed over the reins to BVU four years ago, the company has planted two trees in its shadow, in hopes they would grow to replace the main tree. Both soon died and toppled over.
They’re trying again this year – only starting smaller with a little 12-foot tree from North Carolina, which also was decorated for the event Tuesday.
“We have a lot of high hopes for him,” said Gail Childress, director of community outreach for the utility company. “We think this baby’s the one.”
Childress was modest about how much the event costs the company: “This is our gift to the community, this is where we want our dollars to go,” she said. “We get a lot of things donated. And we do most of the work ourselves.”
They prepared for 2,000 people at the event, scheduled for Monday, but postponed for rain. By 7 p.m. Tuesday, more than 1,500 candles had been handed out.
For the first time, Bristol Virginia Mayor Jim Rector invited Marney to help him flip the switch.
The countdown began, with the John S. Battle High School marching band playing in the background.
Rector and Marney pushed the little white lever, and lit up 1,000 faces in the audience.
“Woooo!” Mike Ellis shouted.
“It’s wonderful,” another man cried out. “Better than ever.”
Then everyone joined in for a round of “Angels We Have Heard on High.”
“It’s a beautiful night, good crowd, people look happy,” Rector said. “And at this time of economic downturn and so much negative news, for an hour this evening we have the opportunity to just come together and have some joy in our lives.”
cgalofaro@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2531
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