The Fellowship Committee of Birmingham Meeting plans an evening, intergenerational event of fun and good food once each winter to brighten the season of long nights. There have been art and talent shows, board games, and an “escape room” adventure with accompanying delicious meals. This year the hard-working, creative committee members hosted a taco bar dinner and lantern-making activity. Guests were invited to bring a topping for tacos or a dessert, an economical, shared menu for feeding a crowd. Over 30 Friends between the ages of 4 and 80+ attended.
After the meal, everyone moved to the “studio,” the classroom wing, in which the carpeted floor had been covered with taped down sheets to protect it from paint spills. Places had been set at tables with all the materials each “artist” would need to paint a glass lantern to brighten the winter nights at home. Some artists initially hemmed and hawed about how to begin, but soon imaginations took off and even the most reluctant painter was busy applying special paint-for-glass on the smooth surface of quart jars, like the kind mayonnaise comes in, while simultaneously chatting with their neighbors. The resulting designs were diverse and creative.
A string of tiny lights or a battery-powered candle and a jar lid were distributed to each painter as the activity came to a close. Jars were lined up on the window sill and the lights in the room turned off. The resulting “oohs” and “ahhs” said it all – the glow of the lanterns matched the glow of satisfaction and enjoyment of community members spending time together.
