A church in Stonehaven is continuing its annual act of remembrance into the new year.
For more than a decade, one of the trees in the churchyard at St James’ Episcopal Church has been decorated at Christmas in memory of those who have passed away.
The congregation is inviting people to write a special message on a bauble and place it on the “simple yet stunning” Tree of Life up until January 6.
David Fleming, buildings convener and vestry member, said: “We recognised that at Christmas while everybody is being jolly there are some people, who for a variety of reasons, are less jolly.
“Perhaps they’ve lost someone in the past year or ten years ago, and one way of coping with that is to recognise it and do a memorial.”
Tree of Life is ‘a symbol of light’
There is still time to leave a message on the tree, with people invited to bring along their own bauble or pick one up from the church.
“What people do is come and write a name and a message on a bauble and hang it on the tree as an act of remembrance for those lives that they are trying to remember,” Mr Fleming continued.
“We start it up around December 1 so people can come and hang their baubles up on the tree on the north side of the church. As the baubles pick up the street lights, it’s a symbol of light on dark days.”
The Tree of Life started out with just a few baubles and has got bigger every year becoming a true communal effort.
Mr Fleming adds: “We feel it provides an outreach to people who may not come to church, there’s nothing particularly sacramental about it. It’s just a gesture for people to remember relatives and friends and know they are not alone.”
In the same vein, the church was the location of the Stoney Cares Christmas Day Lunch on Saturday.
The group meal, organised by Laura Craddock, is an event that brings people together who would otherwise be by themselves on Christmas Day.
Following a successful debut, the event has returned to the church each year. The suppliers for 2021 included Auntie Betty’s, Charles McHardy and Westerton Farm.