It was a crisp and cold evening Nov. 29 but also a night filled with friendship and jovial expressions at Monocacy Creek Park in Bath Borough.

All eight borough elected officials; Marena Rasmus, office administrator, and her dog; and Brad Flynn, borough manager, assembled to light the borough’s holiday tree. Masks and social distancing protocols were followed.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s mitigation guidelines, this popular annual event excluded members of the public from attending.

The ceremony was recorded by Rasmus for placement on the Bath Borough Facebook page.

In recent years, the tree-lighting event attracted in excess of 200 attendees. This enthusiastic response of residents alerted Bath officials regarding the safety of attendees. Social distancing would have been out of reach.

The brief program was spearheaded by Bath Borough Mayor Fiorella Reginelli-Mirabito. She expressed regret the ceremony had to exclude residents but noted optimism for 2021 when the virus can be controlled.

Each council member gave brief holiday-themed remarks.

At the conclusion of the remarks, Reginelli-Mirabito conducted the proverbial countdown from 10. At zero, she flipped the switch that lighted a beautiful, glowing tree.

All present ended the program by singing a time-honored Christmas song - “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”