Deck the halls and hit the malls! Isn't there supposed to be more to Christmas than lights and shopping? To really enjoy the holiday season, we ought to reflect on what the holiday represents and find some special occasions that don't involve spending or eating. There are many fine plays and musicals in Pittsburgh but Valley residents don't need to travel far to find performances that are designed to remind us of the "reasons for the season." Tomorrow night, Dec. 12, Lower Burrell churches will work together to present the ninth "Christmas in Lower Burrell" celebration. Ten churches will offer programming from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., with each church running one or two presentations. At 6 p.m., Braeburn United Methodist Church begins it all with a "Sounds of the Holiday" 20-minute show. At 6:15, Bethel United Methodist presents "Let it Shine," a youth blacklight and puppetry exhibition. Then at 6:30, Hillcrest Alliance performs "The Perfect Tree," the story of the legend of a tree marked for the Christ Child. Trinity United Church of Christ on Garver's Ferry Road invites the community to "Hark! The Herald Children Sing!" at 6:45 p.m. At 7 p.m., St. Margaret Mary Roman Catholic Church marks its 50-year anniversary with the diversity of Advent music from the past 50 years, interwoven with narration from a storyteller. Grace Community Presbyterian Church has a family drama called "The Visit" beginning at 7:15, which uses children to demonstrate the best and worst of the holiday traditions. At 7:30, Bethesda Evangelical Lutheran has a new play called, "Scrooge's Screwed-Up Christmas." Usually they have looked at international Christmas traditions, but this takes a whole different slant with their interpretation of the way we see the holiday. Lower Burrell Baptist Church uses puppets at 7:45 to develop a program focusing on the Joy of Christmas. At 8 p.m, Puckety Presbyterian celebrates its bicentennial with music and glimpses of its past. Program repeats are run by Bethel UMC at 7:45, Hillcrest Alliance and St. Margaret Mary at 8:15, Bethesda at 8:30, and Grace Community Presbyterian at 9 p.m. Grace will feature a different program at 9 p.m. called "Do You Hear What I Hear?" by their choir. Finally at 9:15, the Church of God begins the last presentation, focusing on the symbolism of the Christmas tree and how it relates to the meaning of Christmas. Refreshments and light snacks will be offered at Bethesda, Braeburn, and Lower Burrell Baptist churches, as well as The Church of God. This is not a fund-raising occasion for the churches; the refreshments are free. Generosity is always in season; and needs now are greater than ever. Donations of nonperishable food items as well as socks and gloves in new or next to new condition are requested. The food items will be used by the local food bank and the gloves and socks will be distributed there as well. Socks and gloves of all sizes are needed. Judging by the number of unmatched gloves abandoned by winter's end, their presence will always be welcome. If you haven't had the chance to donate to these worthy causes this fall, this would be the perfect opportunity. Programs like this unite neighbors who don't have the chance to see each other as much as they would like. It welcomes others outside the local community to attend events that they don't need to purchase tickets, sign up or reserve times for. It's definitely an inexpensive evening of live entertainment for children or grandchildren, too. Choose one, two or three times to see the same shows that you saw last year, or to try something new. Plan to arrive about five or 10 minutes before the skit, to have a chance to park and find a seat. Bring a donation for the food bank for local needs and treat yourself to an early Christmas present from the church community in Lower Burrell; they will be thrilled to make room for you, not just at Christmas, but all through the year, too. Trish Grubb of Lower Burrell is a community columnist for the Valley News Dispatch. Her column appears monthly.

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---