When most communities hold a seasonal tree-lighting ceremony, it’s a December night of carols and cocoa. But organizers at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church staged something else entirely. Monica Evans filed the story for FOX 29 Philadelphia.

First, the Gladwyne event was a January evening, beyond the height of the Christmas season. And second, its illumination source wasn’t from bulbs, it was from flames.

Church congregants and community members united to burn their used Christmas trees.

Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining, Rector of Saint Christopher’s, positioned the gathering to unite the community in a visual sign of pushing back the darkness in the world.

It was the eighth edition of the tree-incineration tradition, which Raining cites as having ties to ancient times, harkening to the European rite of burning a yule log.

In addition to a way of disposing of used Tannenbaums, the Saint Christopher’s version was a chance for neighbors to connect.

“We are living in a time that is complex and we are actually, in the middle of a loneliness epidemic, on top of our pandemic, on top of the turmoil in our politics,” said Raining.

“Something like this lets us remember what it’s all about: the togetherness — the way humans are hardwired for connection.

“The way that what actually brings us together far outweighs anything that separates us,” she concluded.

More on the Christmas tree burning at St. Christopher’s Episcopal is at FOX 29 Philadelphia.