Christmas Prelude® – Kennebunkport, Maine
Among the Best Christmas Towns in America
Congregational Church
Most of us probably became aware of Kennebunkport, Maine about twenty five years ago when George H. W. Bush was president. His summer home is on Walkers Point in Kennebunkport. His grandfather, Herbert Walker, originally bought the property. President and Barbara Bush still spend the summer months each year at the compound. Long before the nineteen nineties, nearly a hundred years previously to be exact, people began to discover that the beaches and favorable summer climate combined with the coastal beauty of Kennebunkport, created an ideal vacation destination. That popularity has never wavered. In fact, the town has adopted the appropriate motto, “The Place to be all Year.” We have visited in May, late September and December, and can testify to the validity of that statement. In all fairness, though, near-record high temperatures dominated the days of our visit in early December, 2015.
Located on the Kennebunk River about a mile from the sea, the 18th century fishing village grew to maturity as a major ship building center during the days of sailing ships and schooners. Many of the elegant, stately Inns that dot the streets were once the homes of sea captains. Today the ships have been replaced by tourism as the driving economic force, but there is still a whole lot of lobstering going on.
The population of Kennebunkport is about 3,500, but seldom are there so few people about. There is almost always an influx of visitors. An astonishing number of guest rooms are available in elegant old Inns, resorts and B&Bs, but don’t look for a Motel 6, Holiday Inn or any other ubiquitous hostelry chain. Mercifully there are none there to pollute the visual charm of this idyllic setting.
18th Century Home
HGTV selected Kennebunkport’s “Christmas Prelude” as the number two Christmas Town in America and another group listed it in the top 100 events in North America. The annual event extends from the first through the second weekend of December. At the invitations of friends we made on a trip to China, we eagerly came on the final weekend of the festival in 2015 to see what it is all about and to immerse ourselves in the celebrations. We missed the Lobster Tree lighting at Cape Porpoise, the hat parade, the first Christmas Tree lighting in Dock 
Square, Santa’s arrival by lobster boat, and Candlelight Caroling at the Franciscan Monastery, which took place during the first weekend of Prelude, but with efficient planning, our hosts packed our schedule with as many stimulating activities during the final days of the event as the hours would allow. The experience far exceeded our anticipation and easily resides as one of our top two Christmas destinations in the United States.
Magic of Christmas Concert, Tree Lighting and Fireworks
The second Christmas Tree lighting in Dock Square followed by fireworks are the main events in Kennebunkport on Friday, giving us time for the forty minute drive to Portland to attend the matinee performance of the 39th annual “Magic of Christmas” concert by the Portland Symphony Orchestra.
The orchestra performs in Merrill Auditorium in downtown Portland. Upon entering the 1,900 seat hall we were immediately struck by the sight of the magnificent Kotzschmar organ. When it was built in 1912, it was the second largest in the world and its 6,857 pipes and 101 ranks still keeps it up there with the giants. It is one of only two municipal organs in the United States. The other is in San Diego, California. We arrived early enough to hear the organ concert prior to the orchestra and chorus taking the stage.
The music selections chosen by the symphony and chorus ranged from the whimsical and delightful “The 12 days after Christmas” and the majestic “Hallelujah Chorus,” to a wonderful variety of creative carol and Christmas classics arrangements. Three members of Cirque de la Symphonie performed choreographed acrobatics and comprehension-defying contortions to some of the music. We even witnessed a tap dancing Santa Claus.
No large city can duplicate the atmosphere, spirit, and intimacy of a small town celebration. This evening we felt the warm glow of shared excitement in the company of happy families and excited children gathered in Dock Square in the heart of the village awaiting the relighting of the Christmas tree. Musicians serenaded us with carols until the lighting countdown. Afterward we joined the crowd making its way down a couple of blocks to 
the bank of the Kennebunk river. When fireworks began to explode from a barge in the river, it seemed as if they were right above our heads. Exclamations of wonder spontaneously escaped from us as the cacophony of sound and bursts of brilliant colors filled the sky; the best we have seen in person in a long time.
All the shops in Dock Square and surrounding streets are still open, so after the sky faded back into darkness, we spent some enjoyable time browsing and people watching while waiting on our dinner reservation time at the Hurricane restaurant. The food was definitely worth the wait.
Craft Fairs, a beach, and A Walk to Bethlehem
Craft Fairs in several locations attract scores of curious potential buyers who eagerly meander among the booths in search of treasures. The creativity, uniqueness and craftsmanship amazed us. Certainly a cut above what we usually see, we thought. Friendly vendors intrigued us with their stories of how their products are made and how their skills evolved. We let hours of time slide by unnoticed on Saturday as we sauntered from booth to booth examining the wares and conversing with their creators.
Southerners like to tout their hospitality, but we could learn much from the affable people of Maine who quickly enveloped us in a warm blanket of uninhibited and amicable graciousness.
I’ll mention one signature event in Christmas Prelude which we skipped. The Nonatum Resort hosts “Fire and Ice,” an adults only event with blazing bonfires, ice bars and sculptures, local food and drink, and live music for an admission of about $40 or so per person.
We had preserved time in our schedule Saturday afternoon to walk along one of the nearby beaches. By the time we got there, the sun was low on the horizon, bathing the languid waves with a beautiful shimmering veneer of gold. We would have been happy to linger there where land meets water, captivated by the expanse of the ocean and allowing the magnificent visual masterpiece to infuse and consume our sensual contemplation, but time approached for the climactic event in our Christmas Prelude experience, demanding that we reluctantly returned home.
A Walk to Bethlehem begins on the village green. Joseph stands patiently by Mary who sits on a donkey, well actually it’s a pony, but the discrepancy is not important. A narrator reads scripture proclaiming the impending birth of the Messiah, and we join in singing an appropriate carol. As we follow, many in the crowd with lanterns, Joseph leads Mary’s mount to a nearby Inn to inquire about lodging. The Innkeeper turns him away with directions to another 
establishment. Scripture and a carol precede the discovery that there is also no vacancy at the second stop. After another futile inquiry down the road, this Innkeeper offers refuge in his barn. Joseph and Mary gratefully accept the compassionate offer and proceed there. All of us wait impatiently outside until we hear the angry cries of an unhappy baby. In a few minutes Joseph admits us inside to see the newborn child lying in 
a trough on a bed of hay. Thoughtful angels or shepherds, I am not sure which, anticipated the visitors’ arrival and provided hot chocolate and cookies for all the weary travelers. We leave silently, pondering what we have experienced and we think of the night more than two millennia past when God revealed himself in human form bringing redemption to all people and changing the world forever.
We wish we could inject an embryonic idea into the interest cache of others that might mature into a decision to add Kennebunkport Christmas Prelude into a future schedule. The 2016 calendar of events is already in place. Check it out at http://www.christmasprelude.com/.
This was the perfect prelude to our Christmas, filling our hearts with joy and propelling us into the season when love rightfully claims supremacy; the love of God for mankind and the love that we have for those who are dear to us.
Related links
http://www.kennebunkportme.gov/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennebunkport,_Maine
http://www.merrillauditorium.net/
http://www.foko.org/about-the-organ/
Norman and Jan Rodgers 