Horse-drawn carriages move through the crowd. Candles are passed out free of charge and, one by one, stran- gers tip theirs together until every candle is lit and the faces of everyone attending are softly illuminated. Ebe- neezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim address the crowd from the upper balcony of the Market House. Scrooge, of course, has come around by then and vows to be a changed man. Tiny Tim delivers his famous line, "God bless us every- one." More carols are sung and, meld- ing our age with Dickens' age, smart- phones by the dozens are brought out by those who want to record the tran- quil moment in 21st century video. The Christmas lights that hang
over Hay Street and the lights on a gi- ant Christmas tree under the Market House are lit and everything becomes even a bit more magical. Finally, fire- works are set off so that they burst just over Downtown and can be seen by all the revelers. CV
66 | November/December • 2012
