It’s both a warning and a celebration.
Each year at 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve, the lights on the Reading Pagoda, perched way up on top of Mount Penn and visible from throughout the city, flicker on and off. The flash is a reminder to local children to climb under their covers and nod off to sleep so that Santa Claus can slip quietly into their homes and leave behind brightly wrapped gifts.
This year, that tradition is at risk.
Because of renovations taking place at the Reading landmark, the lights can’t be flashed this year. So instead, city officials are asking local residents to fill in.
A message issued Tuesday by Reading Mayor Eddie Moran asks city residents to flick their own Christmas lights on and off at 9 p.m. on Saturday night.
“Traditions are important to honor and pass on from generation to generation, and if there is one thing my mother taught me, it is that there is always a solution,” Moran said. “This is our way of finding a solution to keep a special tradition alive.”
Moran, along with the Pagoda Foundation and members of the Reading Fire Department, are also inviting the public to join them at the pagoda on Christmas Eve, where a fire truck will flash its lights.
Anyone who stops by is encouraged to bring a flashlight to join the effort. Gates will open at 8:45 p.m. and the event will last until about 9:15 p.m.
Source: Berkshire mont
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