The day after Thanksgiving, my husband and I put aside our turkey and dressing and drove to Enid, Oklahoma to participate in the lighting of "The One". This gift to Oklahoma was the brain child of Kyle Williams, owner of Williams Media, and his family. COVID delayed the event by one year, but this year it came to pass and it was spectacular!
The evening started with a Christmas parade around the square in downtown Enid. How many decades had it been since I went to a Christmas parade? I can't even remember the last time, but I will remember this one. Enid has about 49,000 people and I believe most were in attendance along with out-of-town friends and family. Children were running around, laughing, playing, anticipating the start of the parade of lights. My best description of the event: HAPPY and FREE. There was no atmosphere of fear, just celebration. Normalcy!
After the parade, a sea of people walked the two blocks to the site of the 140 foot Christmas tree. In case you are wondering, the Christmas tree is the tallest in the United States this year. It was harvested from the Shasta National Forrest in California (the tree had previously been selected for culling) and trucked across country to Enid. That in itself was a miraculous feat. Then it was erected in a hole cut in the middle of a street, secured with guy wires and decorated with thousands of lights and ornaments.
The tree is surrounded by smaller trees, each sponsor supported, that tell the story of the journey of the tree. An ice rink is next door. A stage is there also which will host performances every weekend through Epiphany, Jan 6.
So what happened next? The crowd stood, sat and listened intently as the message of the "Christ-mas" Tree, "The One" was delivered. Songs were sung. And then, the lights came on! In the darkness I could make out a sea of people stretching from the tree across several surrounding blocks. Some people were there to celebrate the reason for the season: the birth of "The One". Others were there to see if a tree this tall could really be in Enid, Ok. After the tree lighting, the evening ended with a fireworks display lighting up the plains.
Yes, "The One" has a religious theme. It is there to remind us all of the baby that joined humanity to save us whose birth we celebrate every December 25. Sometimes this reason for the season gets buried in other holiday traditions: Santa Claus, Christmas trees, light displays, gift giving. But, if you think about it, all of these accompanying traditions herald back to Christ: light of the world, spirit of giving, kindness to others, evergreen symbolizing eternal life.
I can't say that everyone who attended the ceremony views Christ as their savior. There were a mix of people, and probably a mix of religious views, including agnostics. Enid, Ok is a conservative city. It's a small town by most measurements. What was NOT present at the ceremony was any sort of protest. No picketers, no fights, no demonstrations. People were gathered in a spirit of love and harmony. They were polite to each other. They helped the physically impaired and the elderly to make the journey to the tree. They watched out for each other's children as they played.
The message of "The One" was clear: God's love for us should translate to our love for others. This beautiful season of light, this season of love, this season of giving, should be shared with all. Today our world is full of divisions and anger. We hear about it daily on the nightly news:"If it bleeds, it leads." The headlines are enough to create despair in us. But in the midst of all this chaos, it is uplifting to know that good exists, that kindness exists, that harmony exists, that unity can exist.
"The One", the "Christ-mas Tree" is providing an example to us all this holiday season. If you are anywhere near Enid, Ok, you should make the journey. The Wise Men of old made the journey: they followed the star to find a king. Follow the lights of "The One". Ponder the message of the evergreen tree: God's love for us all is the way forward to a better tomorrow.
However you will be spending your Christmas, I wish you many blessings. I wish you time with family and friends. I wish you freedom from fear. I wish you hope for a better New Year.
Merry Christmas!
*The Bryson Broadcasting International newsletter will return 15 January, 2022.