It may be June, but it’s almost Christmas time in Bristol

Posted 6/26/17

To the editor:

This past Sunday I got a lot of grief on Facebook for posting a “Happy LEON Day” message. For those of you who don’t know, LEON Day, June 25, is an unofficial …

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It may be June, but it’s almost Christmas time in Bristol

Posted

To the editor:

This past Sunday I got a lot of grief on Facebook for posting a “Happy LEON Day” message. For those of you who don’t know, LEON Day, June 25, is an unofficial holiday marking the halfway point in the year until Christmas Day. “LEON” by the way, is Noel, spelled backwards.

As Bristol’s Official Town Crier, I am honored and extremely proud to be a part of many of the events leading up to our Independence Day celebration on July the Fourth. But on July the Fifth, my attention immediately turns to Christmas.

As a member of the Bristol Christmas Festival Committee (and one of Santa Claus’s Official Ambassadors) the month of July, believe it or not, is a very busy time for me and the committee.

Many people are surprised to learn that there actually is a committee for the Bristol Christmas Festival. The Christmas Festival Committee was founded in 1987 and is responsible for organizing and coordinating a series of premier holiday events with the purpose of providing wholesome, family-oriented activities and entertainment to the residents of Bristol. Children’s performances, music programs, crafts, breakfast with Santa Claus, as well as a tour for senior citizens of Bristol’s holiday decorations and the Grand Illumination, are just a few of the activities provided by the committee each year.

It takes a tremendous amount of time and effort to pull off these events. If it were not for the hard work of our volunteers, not to mention the help of our town officials, the Department of Public Works, the Bristol Police, local merchants, and a host of others, it would not be possible.

This year, the Bristol Christmas Festival Committee is celebrating 30 years. To mark the occasion, the committee will be sponsoring a few new events, including the Christmas Snow Ball on Nov. 19.

In addition to this year’s events, the committee has commissioned a commemorative Christmas ornament. The 2017 Bristol Keepsake Christmas Ornament depicts the Grand Illumination in front of the historic Burnside Building in downtown Bristol. The ornaments are available for sale at various events throughout the year and on the Bristol Christmas Festival Facebook page. The ornaments are also available for purchase at the Bristol Housing Authority, every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. - noon and 1-3 p.m.

If you are interested learning more about the Bristol Christmas Festival or would like to join the committee in helping us to continue to bring these events and activities to our community, please contact us. You can contact us on Facebook (facebook.com/BristolChristmasFestival) or feel free to reach out to me directly at mjrielly@gmail.com.

Michael Rielly
21 Sandy Lane

Grand Illumination

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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.