Christmas and Christmas Songs for New Traditions

Each year in the Christmas season, I visit the Silent Night Chapel in Frankenmuth Michigan. The chapel is built as an exact like-sized replica of that in Bavaria, where the writers of Silent Night composed the iconic Christmas hymn. Christmas hymns, Bible stories, and other Christmas music are piped into the parking lot, where seating is available to view the decorative lights and architecture of the chapel.

Beautiful landscaping, pathways, and a tall decorated Christmas Tree surround the chapel. Along the pathways are verses of Silent Night in hundreds of languages, lettered on commemorative plaques and signs. Visit the links below for more information and photos.

After the visit to Frankenmuth, I look for Christmas Concerts on television that look to become future classics. The concerts of the season at the Columbus City Center mall were wonderfully presented and free to visitors, but the mall was demolished. Television still provides Christmas music, though --

• One favorite Christmas Concert show was a televised concert in the 1990s in which Peter, Paul, and Mary sang Children, Go Where I Send Thee and a selection of other seasonal offerings.
• A Christmas concert in the early 2000s featured Wynonna Judd singing, Why Don't We Call Him Lord?

The Columbus Jazz Arts Group is also providing live concerts for Christmas with a jazz and swing flavor for 2010 at the Jazz Academy and at the historic Lincoln Theater. The price of admission ranges from a can of food for the Mid-Ohio Food Bank to a reasonable concert fee.

The Gospel According to Swing, featuring Nia Allen

The venue may change form year to year, but Christmas Concerts of music other than standard pop favorites are a tradition for me.

State Auto Insurance Companies headquarters is located on East Broad Street in Downtown Columbus, Ohio in a large building. Each year on December 1st, the company's life-sized Nativity Scene opens for display until New Year's Day. In the 2000s, the display expanded to cover not only the front portion of the building, but also the landscaping to the east of it. The Nativity also features a Christmas Choir.

The first time I saw this sight was in a drive-by viewing provided by my uncle, who worked in insurance, when I was in 1st Grade. Not understanding all of it since my family did not attend church, I began to make sense of the lighted figures and miraculous spectacle in public school, where the teachers and administrators taught us about the Birth of Christ. Until then, I did not know what Christmas means or that there separate secular and faith-filled Christmases, with an Orthodox Celebration in early January as well.

Historically, the founder of State Auto Insurance was Bob Pein. In 1932, he began decorating the company' headquarters for the community to enjoy free of charge. The display drew more spectators every year until it became a Columbus, Ohio tradition. Every year, I still drive by at least once or twice and leave the car parked so I can walk through the village scene, almost feeling that I am in the Holy Land.

Secular Christmas was also celebrated in the early displays, with a rooftop Santa Town and 1000's of Christmas lights, with hundreds of Christmas Trees. It was particularly cheering during The Great Depression! Today, to the display centers on the awe-inspiring life-sized Nativity, spoken of around the world for the details given to the figures and scenes.

State Auto: 518 East Broad Street, Columbus OH 43215

If you are not in the Columbus Area, then please enjoy this video visit.