The cemetery located atop a hill in Helper played host to a special event on Wednesday evening. This year marked the 10th luminary ceremony that takes place in conjunction with all the festivities for Utah’s Christmas Town, honoring those that will not be around for the holidays.
Mark Montoya, one of Utah Christmas Town’s organizers, welcomed all to the cemetery, briefly touching on why the ceremony is hosted and the importance of remembering those that have passed. A prayer, poem and special holiday song reflecting on Christmas in heaven then followed. Montoya also took time to honor locals that have recently lost a loved one with a framed copy of the holiday song.
Warming lamps and lights were set up to make the setting more welcoming for those in attendance. For a small fee, the solar-powered lights could be purchased. Those that purchased a light then ventured out into the cemetery to decorate the graves of those that reside there.
This ceremony is only one of many activities ongoing for Utah’s Christmas Town celebrations. Up next, Dec. 7 and 8 will be not only the highly-anticipated chili dinner at the Helper Civic Auditorium, but the famous electric light parade, slated to begin both nights at 7 p.m. The civic auditorium will also play host to breakfast with Santa on Dec. 8 beginning at 8 a.m.
