Wreaths around Matthews

Photo by Cyma Shapiro

Photo by Renee Garner

Photo by Renee Garner

Photo by Cyma Shapiro

Photo by Renee Garner

Photo by Renee Garner

Photo by Renee Garner

Photo by Renee Garner

Photo by Renee Garner

Photo by Cyma Shapiro

For several weeks the Town of Matthews has been festooned in holiday magic. Wreaths are a favorite sign of holiday cheer and can be seen everywhere from the Chamber’s Train Depot to wintry-themed windows on Trade Street.

According to Wikipedia, the word wreath originated in Old and Middle English, writha and wrethe respectively, roughly translating to band. Wreaths have a lengthy history of symbolism throughout many cultures. The decorative wreaths we see hanging around the holidays most likely evolved from the crowns (sometimes called diadems or coronets) of ancient rulers. More recently wreaths have come to symbolize renewal and the eternal cycle of seasons.

Take a virtual stroll through photos of some of our local favorites.

Holiday Traditions at Windsor Run

Last Thursday, December 6, Windsor Run hosted a one-day event called Sharing Holiday Traditions Festival. Sponsored by the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the event was designed to highlight some of the resident’s experiences during the holiday season.

Among the nine displays were Sandy Schneiderman’s images of Chanukah; Judy Schaffer’s collection of Hershey ornaments; Margaret Corsier’s ornaments from the White House Historical Society, and Sharon Nank’s embroidery and appliqué work. Joy Rieves displayed the Santa’s sleigh she received as a one-year-old next to the photo taken of her, then, with this item.

This was an opportunity for people to get to know their fellow residents better and to see what memories and handed-down traditions they’ve kept during their lives.

“This is a way to share our tradition,” said Sandy, pressing the button on her dancing Chanukah/menorah dog, to the delight of passersby.

Windsor Run Retirement Community officially opened in May 2018. The two residence buildings, Dogwood Place and Sycamore Square, are now home to more than 230 residents. To meet the demand for its services and amenities, a third independent living residence, Beech Hollow, will open in 2019.

The menorahs were fully lit

Photo by Cyma Shapiro

Last night was the final night of Chanukah. In homes and synagogues all over the world, menorahs were fully lit.

Fun fact: next Chanukah starts on Dec 22, 2019.

Let's all play dreidel

A handcrafted dreidel collection displayed every year for Chanukah.

Photographs by Cyma Shapiro

According to dictionary.com, there are so many variations for the spelling of Chanukah simply because it’s difficult to translate from Hebrew to English. One researcher, Joe Maller, supposes there are 16 ways to spell Chanukah according to Google hits. Those spellings range from Hanukkah (the most popular with 8,470,000 hits) and Chanukah (3,390,000 hits) to Chanuqa with only 25 hits.

Brakeman's Coffee: A Sharing Space

(L to R) Mark Moore, David Johnson, & Dave Braysden Photo by Cyma Shapiro

Last winter, in an overture of friendship and community, the owners of Brakeman’s (David Johnson, Mark Moore, and Dave Baysden) placed an enormous menorah in the front of the building, loaned by the group at ZABS. “The foundation was friendship and trust,” said David.

“I was into the power(ful) story of Chanukah,” said Mark. “It was an opportunity for the Christian community to understand the power of the story.” They also hosted an opening lighting ceremony with ZABS folks providing narrative to the lighting.

“We wanted a space that was life-giving...How do we make sure that this space is embraced by everybody?”

— David Johnson

“We wanted a place that was ecumenical in its approach,” said David, explaining the vision for Brakeman’s. “We wanted a space that was life-giving. We’re not rooted in making money. How do we make sure that this space is embraced by everybody?”

“This is a place where people can share their story, tell their stories – whether it’s religious, personal or otherwise,” he said. “Those are the things we (try to support).”

Celebrating Chanukah

According to Wikipedia, Chanukah/Hanukkah (also called Festival of Lights or Festival of Dedication) is a Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. 

Chanukah begins this evening, December 2, 2018, and ends on December 10, 2018. The dates of the holiday shift each year due to the differences between the Hebrew and Gregorian calendars. On the Hebrew calendar Chanukah begins on the 24th of Kislev and ends on the 2nd or 3rd Tevet.

Significance: The Maccabees successfully rebelled against Antiochus IV Epiphanes. According to the Talmud, the Temple was purified and the wicks of the menorah miraculously burned for eight days, even though there was only enough sacred oil for one day's lighting.

For those of you celebrating this sacred Holiday, the Beacon wishes you a Happy Chanukah.