Let the holiday festivities begin! Winter Wassail this Saturday in St. Joseph

St. Joseph - St. Joseph Church of Christ will host their second Winter Wassail on Saturday. Sherman Street in St. Joseph is transformed into a Christmas wonderland where visitors and guests can enjoy fresh wassail - a drink made from hot mulled cider and spices, caroling, storytelling in more.

Wassiling is an ancient English Yuletide drinking ritual and tradition from Great Britain. It has its roots in a pagan custom where merrymakers would visit orchards to sing to the trees and spirits to ensure a bountiful yield during the next harvest. Revelers would visit local orchards and fruit trees to sing and make a hullabaloo (loud noises often by banging pots and pans). After their celebration, they would be rewarded with some form of warm, spiced alcoholic beverage from a communal wassail bowl or cup by the property owner.

Saturday's wassail will also include a holiday lighting display, a Christmas tree competition, Santa, and of course, plenty of wassail.

Admission to the outdoor event is limited to one hour for each guest and advance reservations are required. There will be no indoor activities so organizers recommend dressing appropriately.

For more information, contact the SJCOC via email at https://sjcocil.ticketleap.com/sjcoc-winter-wassail/contact/ or by phone at (217) 469-2207.

To the editor: Winter Wassail is seeking your help

Friends of St Joseph,

The Holidays are approaching, and the Church of Christ (SJCOC) needs some of your help for our 1st Annual "Winter Wassail Festival" on Friday December 4th. We're going to need to utilize some of the community parking that is a few blocks away from the Church located on Sherman Street.

We've tossed around the idea of using some of our community golf carts to help shuttle folks, especially the elderly, to and from those parking areas. The carts would need to first of all, be equipped with and licensed in compliance with the Village's rules. Also, they would need to be wiped down between uses (COVID safe) and it would be especially fun if they were decorated in a Christmas type theme with judging for the best "ride".

Right now, we are simply curious if anybody would be interested in volunteering for something like this.

The Festival will run from 4-9 pm, but you would not need to be asked to cover that entire time! We'd take whatever time you'd be available. And, obviously you would get free tickets to attend the event as well.

So, please reply if this is something you'd be interested in doing, and thanks! REPLY here, or PM me, or e-mail me at gordongilly1@gmail.com

Gordon Gilly
St. Joseph