It's not a ghost of Christmases past that Evans City is bringing to Christmas Season 2009. For many community members, it is a bringing-to-life of fond recollections of years past when the holiday season was a big deal for the community as a whole, rather than being relegated solely to individual family traditions.

What Evans City is doing this year — reviving the Light-Up Night celebration — should provide an incentive for some other communities in the county to consider similar ideas for next year and beyond. Doing that could become a new source of community spirit, unity and pride, as well as create new acquaintances and friendships — some of which might someday join together to work on behalf of other community initiatives.

Based on the reaction of residents to the return of the celebration after a decade or more of being on the shelf, this coming weekend's event has the potential to be a big success.

"We are having a great response to this event, especially from the old-timers," said Ginger Leonberg, a member of the Evans City Rotary Club, which is sponsoring the light-up festivities. "They tear up because it brings back memories of when they were a child growing up here when they did this many, many years ago."

While Light-up Night will be a one-evening event beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday at the town square in front of NexTier Bank on Main Street, it nevertheless will impact in a positive way many more days leading up to Christmas.

The community no doubt will have a brighter look this holiday season as a result of a borough-wide decorating contest, which Leonberg hopes will become an annual event. The businesses and homes categories each will have two winners, with the winners receiving cash prizes.

But an even more important part of the overall celebration will be a toy collection for needy children.

As an encouragement for many people to donate toys, there will be the opportunity to register to win prizes that will be awarded at the end of Saturday's light-up activities. The toys will be given to churches; the churches then will make the actual distribution to the children in question.

Evans City might not have a community Christmas Tree to rival the size of the National Christmas Tree, but the borough's 12-foot tree will be a bright celebration centerpiece nonetheless. And, what community holiday celebration would be complete without Santa Claus and carolers?

The Jolly Gent will participate in Saturday evening's activities, including meeting one-on-one with children, and carolers will sing songs of the season.

"I think people are glad to see a little old-fashioned Christmas celebration downtown, getting the kids involved and brightening up the place a bit," said Lee Dyer, Evans City Rotary Club president.

This year has been a little bit depressing for many people because of the nation's economic problems, but the borough's celebration will put that notion aside and depict optimism for the future.

If there's one certainty about the coming weekend, it is that the word "humbug" won't be part of it. The positive spirit hopefully will continue uninterrupted throughout the holiday season and be a foundation for good things for the coming year.

— J.R.K.