All tagged Holidays

Last Call for Santa

With only a few days left until Christmas, Santa is finalizing travel plans for his annual Christmas Eve visit to the Village of Swarthmore. Time is running out to schedule a special visit!

Holiday Cookies and Other Treats

As the winter holiday season gets underway, many of us are turning on our ovens and opening our recipe books to make our favorite holiday treats. For those who want to try something new this year, the Swarthmorean — in collaboration with the Swarthmore Co-op — has a few suggestions submitted by local residents.

Book Rx: Literary Prescriptions for This Holiday Season

Years ago, Swarthmorean associate editor Satya Nelms decided to get creative with her Christmas presents. This year, she combined her DIY tradition with her love of books. She shares some of her gift prescriptions: stories of people who combine Black, female, queer, poor, immigrant, and disabled identities.

Shopping for Good: The Alternative Christmas Shop

The Alternative Christmas Shop, a project of the Swarthmore Presbyterian Church, offers the opportunity to purchase “gifts” that are actually (tax-deductible) donations in the gift recipient’s name, supporting any one of 23 local, national, or global charities, all of which have been vetted by the shop’s organizing committee.

A Scandinavian Christmas Tradition

Sophie Jackson, a sixth grader from Swarthmore, participated in the Saint Lucia celebration at the American Swedish Historical Museum earlier this month. This Christian feast day and celebration of lights commemorating the Italian martyr Saint Lucia marks the beginning of the holiday season for many Scandinavians.

Some Notes on a Christmas Tradition

The dark filled with color and light. Timeless. Respectful silence filled with song. Timeless.  A community come together in a decades-old tradition. It has been 81 years since the first production of the Pageant of the Nativity here in Swarthmore. This dream of Charles D. Mitchell, director of the Swarthmore Players, came to fruition under his direction at 5:30 in the evening of December 18, 1938. Set in Clothier Memorial Chapel on the Swarthmore College campus, the pageant attracted 2,500 attendees — so many that a second presentation had to be given at 7:00.

Made By Hand

Later this week, in a pretty Victorian house on Park Avenue in Swarthmore, a group of six women artists and makers will carry half the furniture upstairs. They’ll move the remaining tables and cabinets around until they’ve created just the right backdrop. Then they’ll begin arranging their work: jewelry, handbags, photographs, candles shaped like pinecones and beehives. Hat stands, tea towels, bowls made from salvaged wood. By Thursday evening, they’ll be ready to pour the wine, set out the cookies, and welcome the public. The fifth annual Handmade Holiday Home Sale will have begun.

Pageant of the Nativity

The Swarthmore Nativity Pageant Committee has already begun preparations for the 42nd biennial Pageant of the Nativity. A Christmas tradition in Swarthmore since 1938, the pageant customarily has been presented every other year. It consists of five scenes from the Old and New Testaments, with narration of the Scripture and choral accompaniment.

Thomas Leiper House Decorated for Christmas

The historic Thomas Leiper House will host its annual Colonial Christmas Open House on Sunday, December 15, from 1-5 p.m. The rooms are decorated by six local garden clubs, and refreshments will include a birthday cake honoring Mr. Leiper’s December 15, 1745 birth in Strathaven, Scotland. 

Welcome the Holidays with Media Chamber Chorale

Media Chamber Chorale, a 45-voice choir under the direction of John Stroud, will present its holiday concert, “Miracles Can Happen,” on December 6 and 7. The concert will feature Part I of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio plus other music of the season, accompanied by organ, piano, and an instrumental ensemble.