The annual Stapleton Winter Welcome is this Friday evening, and parents are encouraged to bring their kids to enjoy the festivities. The Stapleton MCA has made an effort to make sure residents of all religious backgrounds feel welcome. “The event is intended to be a fun time for people to celebrate the beginning of the holiday festivities, no matter what that might mean for each person,” says MCA President Liza Kampstra. “Hundreds of people show up each year, so we must be doing something right.”
According to the MCA website, the Winter Welcome will have “a roasted almond vendor, fire pits complete with s’more makings, hot chocolate, light necklaces and rings, face painting, a DJ and much more.” That all seems pretty non-denominational, but to many it is pretty transparent. “What songs do you think the DJ will be playing,” asks agnostic resident Kara Johnson. “Do you think it will be wedding music, rap music, easy listening? Well, I’m guessing it will be a strong dose of Christmas songs.” Jewish resident Leah Gaies agrees. “Yeah, will we hear Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel? Probably not. But the roasted almonds are a nice effort, I guess.”
For many, what makes it obvious that it is about Christmas is the dancing trees and the carolers. “I mean, has anyone heard of anything besides a Christmas tree or Christmas carols?” asks Andy Halsor. “I don’t care at all, but just call it what it is. A Christmas Welcome.” Others feel this “war on Christmas” has grown tiresome. “It’s ridiculous,” says Tom Neilson. “It’s just the continued persecution of Christians. It seems like everyone hates Christians these days.” Sandy Rinderknecht agrees. “Seriously, let’s just call it a Christmas celebration. As a community, do we feel like it is okay to be so anti-Christian? I feel like Stapleton opens its arms up to everyone, but when it comes to Christians, people want to shut us out.”
The event is expected to have a large turnout, with local food trucks coming and kids getting an opportunity to see the giant “Holiday” tree. The weather should also be better than it has been, so head out to the only town center we have to enjoy the festivities, no matter what your religious background is.
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