East Haddam Community Lions ignite the holidays

East Haddam’s Christmas season began Dec. 2, when the East Haddam Community Lions presented their fourth annual Light Up the Holidays silent auction of holiday décor at the Rathbun Free Memorial Library.

All proceeds will be donated to the town’s Fuel Bank, Food Bank, and Youth and Family Services.

Friday night, it was Wreath Central with several dozen lighted, candy-caned, starred, beribboned and berried wreaths in green, gold, silver, red and fuchsia.

There were small trees – some sparse, some laden with ornaments – and gift baskets, decorated sleighs and centerpieces.

The EHCL know how to do food. .. on the savory table were dips, chips, crackers, cream cheese rolls, shrimp, sliced saucisson (a variety of thick, dry cured sausage that originates in France ) and cheeses.

Sweets included dream and frosted bars, fruit, mini-cheesecakes, thumb-press cookies, gingerbread men, stuffed dates and pumpkin bread.

Ample libations were guarded by a stern portrait of Mrs. Rathbun, one of the library’s benefactors.

The auction items revealed more ways to think about Christmas than one might imagine possible, through the creative use of crèches, stars, pine cones, holly, shiny bulbs and real and artificial greenery.

People reached out and touched parts of the wreaths, ruffling Santa’s beard in one or seeing the room reflected off a shiny ornament in another.

Some favorites were the East Haddam Garden Club’s “Victorian Peace,” with dried hydrangeas, fat green leaves, gold spirals and a muted palette, and “Sleigh Ride,” by Carol Adams, where Santa rested peacefully before or after his big day.

Several admired “Ringing in the Nutcrackers,” by mother/daughter team Celia Delahanty and Eileen Trautner, who have a secret source for mini-nutcrackers.

In this slideshow: “Trees,” a wall hanging created by Dena Liedke; Victorian Peace” centerpiece created by the East Haddam Garden Club; The cookie tower on the sweets table; Frankie and Vicki Pach enjoying the holiday atmosphere; “Sleigh Ride,” by Carol Adams – Santa rests on a pillow of pine cones and small bulbs; “Ringing in the Nutcrackers,” by mother/daughter team Celia Delahanty and Eileen Trautner. All photos by Charles Farrow copyright 2011 HTNP.com

As I left, I tried one last cookie (a pfeffernusse), and was transported back to my childhood home helping Grammy Pfieffer make a parade of German Christmas cookies and stollens.

EHCL’s Linda Bradshaw co-chaired the event with club member Mary Lee Abkemeier.

“We’d like to thank the Rathbun Library for hosting us,” Bradshaw said, “and Carol Adams, who isn’t a member but donates extensively, and Anthony Valentino for the vocals and guitar, and to everyone who donated and purchased the displays.”

She forgot to mention that the Community Lions are part of the largest humanitarian organization in the world.

Posted Dec. 4, 2011

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