2 Responses to Tewksbury Christmas Display

1. John Quealey says: December 21, 2010 at 9:51 am

   In my younger days it was a must to go to the Francisian Center in Tewksbury to see the lights.I am sure Marie also went and if we are lucky she will add more.

2. Marie says: December 21, 2010 at 3:41 pm

   Yes John – we always went to see the lights at St. Francis Seminary on River Road … all those seminarians must have provided the labor to create the beautiful display. It was just up the road from where I grew up on Burnham Road & near where we now live on Fiske Street. Viewing the display of lights around Andover Street and other parts of Belvidere was also part of the tradition. Lights were in “color” then – my mother never succumbed to the white light “fad” – multicolored lights for the trees and shrubs and amber in the windows! Of course our “real” tree had the large colored lights. She also had lighted figures of the Holy Family and a manger in the front yard and later Santa and Frosty (for the “kids” she’d say)! One of my decorating jobs was to make the front door look like a Christmas package with foil paper, wide ribbon and a poinsettia or a bow. We have pictures of we “newlyweds” arriving for Christmas eve just back from our honeymoon with that Christmas package door “spotlighted” in the background – 43 years ago! I never remember a fire in our fireplace but do remember many different Christmas scenes laid out in the pristine hearth! – usually Santa’s village. Thanks for sparking those memories John. Merry Christmas!
   ps – of course the memories of her Christmas cookies, the Christmas eve gatherings (until the kids came along) and then the Christmas dinner with all the trimimings from banna fritters to turkey and stuffing… and the pies – oh the pies! Julia Chilld couldn’t hold a candle to my mother in our eyes with her baking and cooking prowess!