WHETHER YOU head to the farm each year to pick your Christmas tree out from rows of spruces and balsams, pull a pre-lit Aspen fir from a box in the attic, or skip the tree altogether, there’s magic in the first tree-lighting of the holiday season.
For the Tullahoma Community Foundation, it’s less about the tree and more about the community, the tradition, and the nostalgia of a small-town Christmas celebration. All year, the nonprofit works to honor the area’s heritage and celebrate the individuals who have contributed to its rich history. Now, they’re trying to create a new Tullahoma holiday tradition with the annual Flip the Switch tree-lighting ceremony.
“Years ago, they used to do an Olde Towne Stroll, and they would stop at different businesses and sing Christmas carols,” Tullahoma Community Foundation member and local realtor Lynda Welty said. “And we’ve gotten away from that, so we just kind of want to bring back some of that nostalgia.”
Standing in what’s now known as History Park, or Caboose Park, is a tree dedicated to the memory of former Tullahoma Mayor George Orr.
For decades, a lighting ceremony was held at the park, where the city lit up a huge evergreen tree on North Atlantic Street. But eventually, the evergreen died. When Orr passed away in 2012, his wife helped the Tullahoma Community Foundation raise funds to plant a large Norway spruce as a memorial tree and a way to restore the holiday spirit of History Park.
Last year, Welty decided instead of putting on another poorly attended ceremony, they could try to create a Hallmark-style event. They got Mrs. Claus to come out and help kids write letters to Santa. Local vendors participated and gave out samples. Kids got to enter their names in a drawing to “flip the switch” and turn on the Christmas lights at dusk. The event was free to attend, with vendors selling some local goods.
“Last year was our first year, and we really liked what we did,” she said. “We thought, okay, now we’ll have to build on this.”
This year, for the second annual Flip the Switch, the Tullahoma Community Foundation is still hosting vendors, and Mrs. Claus still plans to help kids write their Christmas lists. They’re also bringing in a petting zoo, food trucks, more vendors, and a porta-potty (a necessary evil they learned after last year).
“Mrs. Claus comes in on an old firetruck and gathers the letters. She then takes the letters back to Santa — because Santa’s way too busy,” Welty said.
The event isn’t stealing any thunder from the Tullahoma Christmas Parade, where Santa makes his annual appearance.
“That way, it doesn’t interfere. We’re not trying to compete; we’re just trying to add to,” Welty said of the community Christmas festivities.
Flip the Switch will be held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., with the lighting taking place at dusk, around 4 to 4:30 p.m. Like last year, the event will be free to attend, but the nonprofit encourages and accepts donations. Welty said the money always gets fed back into their efforts within the community.
“It’s short suspense, it’s not very long in the day, and it’s just great fun for the family,” Welty said. “We don’t ever want it to get too big, but we want it to have that nostalgic holiday feeling — that getting back-to-the-basics kind of Christmas. GN
