Santa Lucia Sunday, Dec. 11 at First Church in Jaffrey,
will fill a canoe of foodstuffs and gifts for children

JAFFREY, NH, Dec. 1, 2011—
The third annual Santa Lucia celebration at The First Church in Jaffrey (Congregational/
United Church of Christ) will take place at a special service beginning at 10:30 a.m.,
Sunday, Dec. 11, followed by a Swedish coffee hour.

Jane Jontz, a new member from Peterborough, wearing a crown of lingonberry leaves
with seven lighted candles and dressed in a white gown with a red sash, will lead the
procession down the aisle of the red brick church next to the 1775 Meetinghouse on
Route 124 in Jaffrey Center. Following her will be Lucy Jackson (age 5), Betts Balentine,
Karin Kraft and Gunilla Johanson (all of Jaffrey), who will wear special Santa Lucia
costumes from different counties of Sweden.

In the spirit of the Swedish Festival of Lights legend that Santa Lucia brought food in a
ship to a starving medieval village in Sweden, church-goers will fill a canoe in the church
narthex with foodstuffs for the Jaffrey Food Pantry, and toys and clothing for individual
Jaffrey children for the Jaffrey Chamber of Commerce's custom-order Christmas drive.

The Rev. Robert Kyte, pastor of First Church, will conduct the joint service with the
congregation of Jaffrey's other UCC church, The United Church of Jaffrey. Minister of
Music Gene Faxon of First Church and Scandinavian fiddler Andrea Larsen are featuring
fiddle tunes from the Swedish heartland and ethereal songs of the winter solstice, the
darkest night of the year.

Women of First Church are baking seven kinds of special Swedish cookies and other
traditional Swedish foods for the coffee hour following the service.

PAST EVENTS ARCHIVE

(click to view page)

Swedish Midsummer Celebration

First Church Scholarships

June 12th Organ Recital