Columbia ushers in the holiday season

Amid a flurry of soap-bubble 'snow,' Columbia residents head from the newly-lit gazebo to Yeoman's Hall for a visit with Santa, crafts and refreshments at a holiday celebration on Dec. 2. Photos by Melanie Savage.

Columbia’s Yeoman’s Hall was alive with activity on Dec. 2, as residents prepared for the annual lighting of the town gazebo. There were tables set up along one side of the room, manned by junior Girl Scouts, where younger children could put together holiday-themed crafts.

The Columbia Leos, a relatively new group, manned a table on the other side of the room where they were overseeing a coat drive. “The group is about two years old, I think,” said Leos member Sean. Leos is open to Columbia residents between the ages of 12 and 18, and is a community-service group like the adult Lions.

“It’s time to head outside,” said a Scout leader, and children began cleaning up in preparation for heading out to the town green. The path was lit by luminaries, but many still carried lanterns and flashlights to help them navigate across the dark green.

As is tradition, the Girl Scouts sang several carols in the gazebo. After the lights came on, the crowd sang a chorus of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” to herald the arrival of Santa on a light-bedecked town ladder truck. Santa led the group in another carol, and then it was time to head back into Yeoman’s Hall.

As residents headed in to visit with Santa, finish up holiday crafts, and share some holiday refreshments, they walked through a festive shower of soap-bubble “snow” emitted by a fire department ATV festooned with multicolored lights.