St. Armands Key Lutheran Church gets into the Christmas spirit

Church members gathered Nov. 21 to hang lights and decorate the church's many trees.

By Nat Kaemmerer
| 4:45 p.m. November 23, 2020

Longboat Key
Neighbors

A gang of merry masked elves worked diligently in and around St. Armands Key Lutheran Church on Nov. 21, putting pumpkins to rest and filling every corner with Christmas cheer.

The church held its annual decorating day, bringing members in to help unload the boxes, untangle the lights and hang the garlands just right. About 20 people showed up throughout the morning to lend a hand, spot a friend climbing a ladder to decorate a tree and grab a donut and some coffee.

Typically, the church doesn’t decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but in 2020, you need all the cheer you can get.

“We do it every year, but this year we did it earlier because people need to be cheered up,” Amy Blyth said. “Why not enjoy it for longer?”

Scarecrows and pumpkins were summarily stowed in corners as angels and poinsettias were pulled out of boxes. There was much discussion about which ornaments to hang on which tree, and of the placement of angel ornaments on the church’s entryway tree. As everyone worked, Christmas music played faintly over the church’s speakers, thanks to an iPad placed near the choir’s microphones.