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BRICK KICKS OFF HOLIDAY SEASON WITH ANNUAL TREE LIGHTING
By Keith Hagarty
 | | "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" was the consensus of the 200-plus residents who crowded into the municipal building on Tuesday night for Brick's Annual Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony, and a special visit from the one and only, Kris Kringle. For more photos from this event, visit bricktimes.micromediapubs.com and click "Photo Galleries." |
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Even Old Man Winter couldn't cool the warm holiday spirits felt by hundreds of Brick's residents who bundled up Tuesday night to enjoy the township's annual Christmas tree lighting and holiday festivities.
"A very special guest will be joining us later on," Mayor Stephen Acropolis announced to the crowd. "It's someone very special, wearing a very big, red suit, and we're very happy about that."
With frigid, windy conditions dropping temperatures on the chilly December night below 30 degrees, the township decided to switch the majority of the venue from outside the municipal building on Chamber's Bridge Road to inside the council's cozy chambers.
"Today when it was about 30 degrees out and the wind was howling at 40 miles per hour, they were out setting up these microphones," said Acropolis, "and after they kept falling over, even with sandbags on them, we decided to have it inside."
The lighting ceremony itself, although abbreviated, continued as planned outside,
as Jack Flood and his 3-yearold
sister, Makayla, eagerly awaited the countdown.
"It's our first time here, and their first time too," said their mother, Kim. "They're so excited this year to see it all."
And getting the chance to meet Santa could be an even bigger highlight to boost her kids' wish lists
"Jack wants tools, lots of tools, and Makayla wants a baby doll in a carriage," she said. "We already saw him (Santa) in the mall a couple weeks ago, Jacks gave him a high-five and Makayla just kind of waved from a distance."
The festivities got underway with a selection of classic holiday songs from the Brick Township High School Choir. Some of their familiar Christmas carols included renditions of "Carol of the Bells," "Silent Night" and "Holly Jolly Christmas."
The tree lighting coincided with Brick's annual Festival of Trees in the hallways of town hall. This year's theme is "Christmas in TV Land."
"It's been great. It's the first (tree lighting ceremony) we've been mainly inside for, but it's nice and warm in here, so that's nice," said township recreation director Andrea Zapcic. "Everyone's been wonderful. We try and get the community as much involved as possible."
When they weren't vying for the attention of Old Saint Nick, some of Brick's Girl Scout troops played the roles of helper elves, serving refreshments, which included selections from "Santa's Favorite Cookies."
The troops also collected non-perishable food items to be donated to some of Brick's families most in need.
Zapcic said she became a little teary-eyed watching the kids flock to Santa as they stood in awe.
"When you get to be an adult, I think you start to lose the magic of the season a little bit- especially when you're not done shopping," she said. "You can get all caught up in the stress of 'oh, I got to get this done, I got to get that done, I got to get everything done'- but the kids just keep it so simple."
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