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The Christmas in Colon celebration - featuring the village's signature lighted Christmas parade and downtown festivities - is an annual holiday tradition traditionally held during the first week of December in downtown Colon and since the first week in December is still Fall, we have put it with our Fall events.
This event goes back decades, but their is one year that was very special to the Magic Capital - 1941. Below is the story, set to rhyme.
As Christmas Magic Fills On Our Main Street
A Small Town At Christmas Is Sure Hard To Beat
Cookies And Cider Found At Every Town Store
Reindeer At The Park And Wreaths On The Door
The Christmas Parade It Happens Each Year
Weeks Before Christmas It Brings Men Good Cheer
Each Year Is Different And Each Year Is Great
This Years Christmas Parade - I Hardly Can Wait
I Remember As A Child, Through Main street I'd Run
A Youngster At Christmas Is The Meaning Of Fun
To Every Event I Would Hurry And Stop
Except For One, That Skeleton Magic Shop
Off The Beaten Path And Alone It Did Lie
Painted Black As The Night Neath The Dark Wintry Sky
It Illuminates With Light, Shiny And Bright
Two Skeletons Of White, Two Skeletons Of Fright
Other Shops Had Reindeer, Other Shops Spread Cheer
But This Lonely Shop Had Skeletons To Fear
Perhaps That's Why It's Not On The Path
On Christmas – Who Needs A Skeletons Wrath?
The Years Would Pass And The Parades' They A Went
But To That Skeleton Magic Shop I Ne'er Would Be Sent
I Would Stay On Main Street To See The Christmas Parade
I Enjoyed The Christmas Candy, And Cookies Homemade`
One December Day Infamy Did Unfold
My Country Attacked, Pearl Harbor I Was Told
I Quickly Signed Up But Not With A Frown
For The Parade Was Tonight In My Home Town
That Year's Parade Had A Special Warm Touch
Despite The Rations We Really Had Much
To Main Street I Went For The Christmas Parade
But Off The Beaten Path A Strange Sound Was Being Made
I Walked From The Crowd To The Noise That I Heard
And From That Magic Shop A Printing Press Did Whir
That Shop With White Skeletons Through A Window I Spied
Was Printing Up Something Bothering Everyone Outside
I Knew That Soon I Would Be Shipping Out
So I Decided To Tell Them What Christmas Is About
I Knocked On The Door - My Intent To Advise
And When The Door Opened I Was Shocked And Surprised
"Merry Christmas Dear Friend" Said The Two Working Men
One Put Down His Papers, One Put Down His Pen
"We Rarely Get Visitors During Christmas Parade"
"Most Are Afraid Of The Skeletons We Made"
My Mood Was Softened By The Warm Hearted Folk
In The Shop I Saw Cookies, And Candy, No Joke
After Small Talk I Finally Had To Confide
"Why Are You Working Here When It's Christmas Outside"
Their Mood Became Somber - Then One Did Arise
He Brought Me A Book That Was Just Pocket Size
The Books Taught Magic Nothing Unusual There
It Was The Size Of The Book That I Wanted To Compare
I Asked "Why So Small This Magical Book?"
I Spoke "Why So Urgent To Print In This Nook?"
I Thought "Why The Skeletons Out Front To See?"
"When Really There Should Be A Christmas Tree!"
The Partners Looked At Me And Then Told Me Why
The Books Were Needed To Keep Morale High
The Books Are Small So Not To Impede
The Mission Of Our Soldiers – That To Succeed
Our Military Had Come To My Small Town
And Asked These Men To Help Troops On The Ground
With Books Of Magic, And Sleight Of Hand
To Entertain Our Soldiers On Any Foreign Land
So The Magic Books Were Printed Into The Night
And For A Moment Outside The Stars Seemed More Bright
I Ran Back To The Route Where The Parade Was Planned
And Asked "Friends And Family, Can You Lend Us A Hand?"
To The Shop With The Skeletons The Town Did Appear
And We Gave Part Of Our Christmas To Soldiers That Year
With The Help Of The Town I'm Happy To Say
The Soldiers Got Their Books By Christmas Day
Later That Month I was Due To Depart
Duty Came Calling And We All Did Our Part
But Before I Left I Made One Last Stop
A Mystery Remained - Why Skeletons At That Shop
I Asked My New Friends A Question Inside
A Mystery Since Childhood I Had to Confide
The Christmas Parade Is Celebrated With Glee
Why Illuminate Skeletons And Not A Tree?
The Partners Then Told Me The Answer I Long Craved
When The Business Began They Had Little Money Saved
What Paint They Could Afford With A Budget So Tight
Was A Bucket Of Black And A Little Of White
Now The Magic Shop Did Fine - A Financial Success
But The Skeletons Remind Them Of When They Had Less
And What They Found Out, And What They Now Know
Remembering To Help Others Is The Best Magic Show
Several Years Later The War It Did End
Safely I Returned To My Family And Friends
The Christmas Parade Yes I Still Do Attend
But Now I Make Time For My "Skeleton" Friends
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