Community Tree

2023 Menorah & Tree Lighting

/ Anna White

75th Holiday Tree Lighting and 6th Hanukkah Celebration
When: Monday, December 11 at 7:00 pm
Where: Intersection of Luzerne Ave. and Glen Ross Rd.

The dual event features latkes (potato pancakes), hot cider, music, and Santa.

Fyi, the following streets will be closed to traffic, starting at 6:45 pm:
* Luzerne Ave. between 2nd Ave. and Columbia Blvd.
* Glen Ross Rd. between 2nd Ave. and Columbia Blvd.

Note: As the first night of Hanukkah this year is Thursday, December 7, the menorah will be put up before the 7th, and each evening the appropriate number of lights will be lit.

Add a Heart to the Neighborhood Valentine Tree

/ Anna White

The young members of the North Woodside Roots & Shoots group so much loved creating the neighborhood Thankful Tree in the fall that they wanted to do a similar participatory community art project every season.

It remains to be seen if the group can reach that ambitious goal, but they are now halfway there with the unveiling of the Neighborhood Valentine Tree (aka Community Tree).

Roots & Shoots members invite all neighbors to visit the Community Tree Triangle*, reflect on what they love about the neighborhood, and add a heart to the tree.

Extra hearts and markers for writing are in a plastic box under the tree. If the extra hearts run out, feel free to write on the backside of hearts already hanging on the tree.

The Neighborhood Valentine Tree will be on display through the end of February. 

More Fun: Go on a Neighborhood Heart Scavenger Hunt! In addition to the hearts decorating the Neighborhood Valentine Tree,  30+ hearts have been placed throughout the neighborhood.  There is at least one along every street in the neighborhood, including along most, but not all, blocks. How many can you spot?

* Intersection of Glen Ross Rd. and Luzerne Ave.

Happy Holidays!

/ Anna White

To all who celebrate the various holidays of the season…Happy Hanukkah!…Happy Solstice!…Merry Christmas!…Happy Kwanzaa!…Happy New Year!

Here are a few photos of last weekend’s community Menorah Lighting, which was followed by the community Tree Lighting and a visit from Santa. Photos by Genevieve McDowell Owen, Phyllida Paterson, and Rebecca Doran

Many thanks to all the neighbors who contributed their time, talents and resources to the event. It takes a village!

And for those who missed, a new song sung at the event:

Woodside Wassail (words by David Kitzmiller)

Wassail, wassail, all over the town!
Our punch, it is red, and our cookies, they are brown.
The goodies are spread by the old Christmas tree,
From the wassailing bowl, we’ll drink to thee!

Here’s to North Woodside Civic so good,
Which strives to keep order in this neighborhood.
From 16th to Linden, all’s well we will say;
So we’re gathered together to brighten this day!

Wassail, wassail all over Woodside!
Remember your neighbors in this wintertide.
At Luzerne and Glen Ross, we’ll now light our tree,
From the wassailing bowl, we’ll drink to thee!

Light and love to all. And stay warm–the northern winds sure are a blowin’ out there!

North Woodside’s Garden of Lights

/ Anna White

May not be Brookside Gardens,  but the North Woodside Garden of Lights was beautiful last night. And no tickets needed. Here is a gallery of a few illuminated-snow favorites. Photos by Lilian Pintea. Light artistry–enhanced by Mother Nature–by various neighbors on various streets.