Neighborhood continues Christmas tradition

Published 1:00 pm Saturday, December 24, 2016

As Christmas Eve finally descends on Milledgeville, the residents of one local neighborhood are renewing a nearly 30-year-old tradition.

Saturday evening in the Milledgeville Country Club neighborhood, the dark of winter will be broken by thousands of lights lining every street. The lights, which are little more than candles placed into paper bags, signify hope and the spirit of holiday giving, lighting the way for visitors and neighborhood residents alike. Country club residents say the luminaries are a way to spread yuletide cheer to the entire Milledgeville community, and welcome anyone looking to share in the spirit of Christmas to come take in the sight.

“The luminaries are a tradition that’s been going on in the neighborhood since about 1989,” said neighborhood resident Cam Williams. “Typically, on the Sunday before Christmas, we would line the 2-mile main circle and the side roads inside Country Club Estates with the luminaries spaced about 10 feet apart. It creates a great kind of ambiance, and it’s a way for our neighbors to come together and meet each other, and spend a little time doing something that the whole community can enjoy.”

Traditionally since the luminaries’ inception, the candles have lit the main stretch of Sussex Drive through the night. With Christmas Day falling on a Sunday this year, residents decided to light the luminaries on Christmas Eve, lending the night before Christmas an extra special addition. This year, each candle will be placed into a bag donated by Captain D’s owners Wes and Laura Cummings and be weighed down by sand (courtesy of Fowler Flemister Concrete owners Gus and Helen Pursely). Nearly every neighborhood resident joins in the assembly and placement of the lights, resulting in a spectacle that annually attracts visitors from far and wide.

“It takes a little bit of setup,” said Cam’s wife and neighborhood resident Holly Williams. “First we get the bags and the candles to team leaders who get them to everybody in the neighborhood, and that’s a little bit of work just coordinating it all. It’s worth it in the end — it’s really cool to see it at nighttime, and we have a daughter who’s almost 2, so I’m excited for her to see it.”

The tradition carries the weight of more than 30 years for residents of the country club area. The idea for the luminaries originally came from a longtime neighborhood resident who wanted to continue a tradition from her previous neighborhood.

“ Around 1989, Kay Collins had moved to town and it was something they had done in South Carolina where she lived — when she moved to the neighborhood she kind of brought it here. … I’m sure there are some people that are indifferent to it, but we’ve gotten an overwhelmingly good response from the neighbors, and it’s refreshing to see.”

More than anything else, the luminaries are a way to connect people during the Christmas season. Williams said the tradition has brought many neighborhood residents together who would not have met otherwise, and the shared task of setting out the thousands of lights create relationships that last far beyond the end of the Christmas holiday. The main goal of the luminaries, however, is to spread goodwill to as many people — neighborhood resident or one-night visitor — as possible.

“I honestly couldn’t tell you how many people we’ve gotten [to see the lights],” said Williams. “I hear a lot of people that do come, and we’ll see some traffic coming through. We don’t necessarily count all the people that come, but from 6 o’clock to whenever the candles quit burning you’ll see some cars riding through, and some will even ride through two or three times.”

As Milledgeville celebrates another Christmas Eve, the residents of the Country club community hope that this year’s luminary display will be a reminder of everything the city’s residents have to be thankful for. More than just a decoration for the benefit of neighborhood residents, country club residents hope that the luminaries will spread peace and goodwill to the entire community.

“I’ve probably said it time and time again, but the Christmas season is a time that we can be selfless,” said Williams. “Doing for others is what it’s all about.”

The Milledgeville Country Club luminaries will be spread throughout the Country Club neighborhood. The candles will be lit at dusk and will burn through the night.