You cannot see it, but there are elves at work at this very moment. They have heeded the call and are working very hard to ensure we have lights on Greenwich Avenue for this coming holiday season. The Avenue is in danger of being without its traditional holiday lights unless a small group of individuals can successfully raise enough funds and establish an organization to oversee the effort.
Already they have received pledges of financial support from business owners and the town has stepped up to prune the trees so the lights can be hung properly without harming the trees. The elves’ effort is by no means over, or success ensured, but they have stepped in when they saw the need. We must now support their efforts.
Funding the lights on Greenwich Avenue may not seem like an important cause to some, but it is to The Sentinel. We care deeply about lifting up our community and ensuring all our businesses are thriving.
The lights are as symbolic as they are festive. When the trees are not sparkling a path towards Long Island Sound, the Avenue is less inviting for holiday shoppers and strollers. That is not good for our merchants.
Many of the original mom and pop stores have left our town (oh, how we miss the Carnival Card Shop!), but we need to support all our merchants. It is good for our community and our economy. The light adds to the holiday spirit and adds to the shopping experience. If the lights are not lit this year it may be even harder for them to shine next year.
The elves working behind the scenes are to be applauded for what they are doing. While they may want a little more time before making a public announcement, we want them to know we support their efforts whole heartedly. Their efforts speak to something larger – giving back.
We are reminded of William Shakespeare’s quote: “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” We are a community of high achievers. We are also a community that supports many organizations and non-profits with remarkably generous financial support. All of which is commendable.
The financial support is vitally important. Without it we would not have the benefit of the incredible work organizations like Kids in Crisis, Abilis, the YMCA, and many others.
There are other organizations and efforts that are less visible, like the Holiday Lights on the Avenue that need our support as well. And, it is not just the lights. There are numerous efforts under way to preserve the character of our town through protecting open space and historic homes.
A very visible example of this was the incredibly successful GoWild! event this past Sunday. We understand they raised more funds for the Greenwich Land Trust than they have in the past several years at the same event. Congratulations!
It turns out there are many elves in town, in addition to those work on the Holiday Lights. We would like to name each elf, but somehow feel that may take away a little bit of the magic they are helping to create. We will when the time is right, though. Let’s add your name to the list!
For now, if you get a call or a letter or email to support one of the many great causes in town, we hope you will say yes. It is one of the many things that make our community so wonderful – all of the elves pitching in to make it better.
“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” Buddha
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