Providence Village had a first during its ninth tree lighting celebration on Monday night—lighting the giant, full-branched outdoor Christmas tree.
Having a full Christmas tree has been the goal of the mayor, council and town staff for years, with its predecessor being the wire and string light tree that remains a part of the town’s holiday display.
“Just like our growing population of new neighborhoods and expanding commercial areas, this tree represents how far we’ve come,” Mayor Linda Inman said during the ceremony. “It stands taller, shines brighter and reflects our continued commitment to creating traditions that bring us all together.”
Inman also drew attention to another decoration set up a few feet from the Christmas tree.
“As we celebrate the Christmas season, we also recognize the diversity that strengthens and enriches Providence Village,” Inman said. “I’m proud to share that we also have a brand-new menorah that we will light up as well. This menorah is another symbol of hope, resilience and the miracle of light.”
Inman said afterward that the tree reflects the town’s “true spirit.”
“Christmas is a really special time of year in Providence Village,” Inman said.
Town Manager Brian Roberson was excited too, especially for the way that the town was able to fund the purchase of the tree.
“The good news is we were able to purchase it on sales tax revenue that had exceeded our expectations, so it wasn’t even property tax dollars that paid for it, and this is exactly the kind of thing people have been saying they wanted,” Roberson said.
The ceremony kicked off with Kassandra Gaither, who is a Providence Village resident and the public services manager of the Aubrey Area Library, reading “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” to the crowd.
The Braswell choir, again, performed an array of Christmas tunes, including “Carol of the Bells,” “Jingle Bells” and “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing.”
Following the students’ performance, Inman took the stage.
“It’s my absolute joy to welcome you here,” she said. 'Our tree lighting is a tradition that has grown right alongside our beautiful town.”
She continued with pride about the community of Providence Village.
“Every year, our community shows up with heart, warmth—you need a lot of warmth tonight—and an unmistakable small-town spirit that makes this place home,” Inman said.
Inman also invited out a special guest, who made a quick appearance.
Santa waved to the crowd before heading back into the Town Hall lobby to prepare for picture opportunities after the ceremony.
Inman then welcomed Emilia “Millie” Gaither to the stage.
Millie, a kindergartener at Denton Classical Academy, charmed the crowd with her responses to Inman’s questions, eliciting ohs and ahs with her enthusiasm.
“Without further ado, let’s get ready for the moment we’ve all been waiting for,” Inman said. “Millie, are you ready?”
“Yeah!” she said in reply, and the crowd said “aw!” in response.
Millie said it was “scary, a little,” when she went up in front of everyone, but that it was a great experience.
“I’ve been wanting to light the tree since before I started kindergarten,” she said.
Kassandra, Millie’s mother, said it was extra special to read Millie’s favorite Christmas story on Monday.
“There’s something so exciting about reading her favorite Christmas story on the year that she gets to do the lights on the year that we have the new Christmas tree,” she said. “It just feels very magical, like a little core memory has been made.”
When asked why she loves that story the most, Millie responded, “because he becomes nice.”
The Braswell choir and Providence Village families made their way through Town Hall to have a visit with Santa.
Inman said she was proud to not only have the tree she’s dreamed of for the for the town for years, but also to have the illuminated menorah on display.
“We had the blow-up menorah … for the past two years, and so when we put in the purchase for this tree, we also wanted to upgrade the menorah as well to recognize our Jewish residents,” Inman said.
Jennifer Dautrich, who along with Inman has been part of the planning committee for the town’s holiday celebrations from the first year, said she was happy seeing the additional symbol lit up this year.
“I love it,” Dautrich said. “I think it’s very inclusive. I met a few Jewish families over here tonight who were really excited to see the menorah, so you’re including everybody in the bigger town. … And this tree is amazing.”
The town’s Christmas festivities were set to continue with a Christmas parade at 4 p.m. Saturday beginning at the intersection of Cape Cod Boulevard and Benefit Drive that will turn south on Main Street and end at Providence Elementary School.
Reporter-in-training Julia Allen contributed to this report.
