With only a few days left until Christmas, Santa is finalizing travel plans for his annual Christmas Eve visit to the Village of Swarthmore. Time is running out to schedule a special visit!
All tagged Holidays
Holiday Cookies and Other Treats
As the winter holiday season gets underway, many of us are turning on our ovens and opening our recipe books to make our favorite holiday treats. For those who want to try something new this year, the Swarthmorean — in collaboration with the Swarthmore Co-op — has a few suggestions submitted by local residents.
Book Rx: Literary Prescriptions for This Holiday Season
Years ago, Swarthmorean associate editor Satya Nelms decided to get creative with her Christmas presents. This year, she combined her DIY tradition with her love of books. She shares some of her gift prescriptions: stories of people who combine Black, female, queer, poor, immigrant, and disabled identities.
No Swarthmore Fire Company Christmas Trees
The Swarthmore and Morton/Rutledge fire companies have been informed by their Christmas tree wholesaler that they will not be able to supply trees this year due to damage from an early frost. This fundraiser typically raises $6,000 for the fire companies.
Shopping for Good: The Alternative Christmas Shop
The Alternative Christmas Shop, a project of the Swarthmore Presbyterian Church, offers the opportunity to purchase “gifts” that are actually (tax-deductible) donations in the gift recipient’s name, supporting any one of 23 local, national, or global charities, all of which have been vetted by the shop’s organizing committee.
Greens and Gifts Workshops
Two free webinars from Delaware County Master Gardeners offer help using materials you can find in your yard or community to create fresh, natural holiday arrangements.
Why Dave Augustine Creates His Holiday Magic
Now that the holiday season is well and truly over, the Swarthmorean is remembering Dave Augustine’s holiday courtyard garden and the light it brought during dark December nights. We asked Dave what got him started and what keeps him going, and this is what he told us.
A Scandinavian Christmas Tradition
Sophie Jackson, a sixth grader from Swarthmore, participated in the Saint Lucia celebration at the American Swedish Historical Museum earlier this month. This Christian feast day and celebration of lights commemorating the Italian martyr Saint Lucia marks the beginning of the holiday season for many Scandinavians.
Some Notes on a Christmas Tradition
The dark filled with color and light. Timeless. Respectful silence filled with song. Timeless. A community come together in a decades-old tradition. It has been 81 years since the first production of the Pageant of the Nativity here in Swarthmore. This dream of Charles D. Mitchell, director of the Swarthmore Players, came to fruition under his direction at 5:30 in the evening of December 18, 1938. Set in Clothier Memorial Chapel on the Swarthmore College campus, the pageant attracted 2,500 attendees — so many that a second presentation had to be given at 7:00.
Made By Hand
Later this week, in a pretty Victorian house on Park Avenue in Swarthmore, a group of six women artists and makers will carry half the furniture upstairs. They’ll move the remaining tables and cabinets around until they’ve created just the right backdrop. Then they’ll begin arranging their work: jewelry, handbags, photographs, candles shaped like pinecones and beehives. Hat stands, tea towels, bowls made from salvaged wood. By Thursday evening, they’ll be ready to pour the wine, set out the cookies, and welcome the public. The fifth annual Handmade Holiday Home Sale will have begun.
Pageant of the Nativity
The Swarthmore Nativity Pageant Committee has already begun preparations for the 42nd biennial Pageant of the Nativity. A Christmas tradition in Swarthmore since 1938, the pageant customarily has been presented every other year. It consists of five scenes from the Old and New Testaments, with narration of the Scripture and choral accompaniment.
Thomas Leiper House Decorated for Christmas
The historic Thomas Leiper House will host its annual Colonial Christmas Open House on Sunday, December 15, from 1-5 p.m. The rooms are decorated by six local garden clubs, and refreshments will include a birthday cake honoring Mr. Leiper’s December 15, 1745 birth in Strathaven, Scotland.
Master Gardeners to Help with Holiday Decorations, and also Pests
On Sunday, Dec. 8, from noon - 4 p.m., Penn State Extension Master Gardeners will offer handcrafted, fresh-cut evergreen wreaths, holiday floral creations, conifer identification activities—and, in a different vein, information on the invasive and destructive spotted lanternfly.
Welcome the Holidays with Media Chamber Chorale
Media Chamber Chorale, a 45-voice choir under the direction of John Stroud, will present its holiday concert, “Miracles Can Happen,” on December 6 and 7. The concert will feature Part I of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio plus other music of the season, accompanied by organ, piano, and an instrumental ensemble.