The spirit of Christmas filled the air in Frenchtown, St. Thomas, Sunday night during the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, a tradition organized by the Frenchtown Civic Organization and the Committee for the Betterment of Carenage.
This year, the Christmas Tree Lighting event included its first-ever Christmas Market, christened “Mollyville”, in honor of Molly Morris, a revered journalist and Frenchtown resident for 60 years. Morris, a former reporter for the Virgin Islands Source, was celebrated for her deep commitment to the community she loved.
This year’s concession stand was dedicated to the memory of Roy Kenneth Magras, a longtime FTCO treasurer and staunch community advocate. Patrons enjoyed offerings from the “Kenny’s Concession” stand, which featured everything from red and white wine and local beers to mixed drinks and vegan coquito.
The Christmas Market hosted eight vendors who offered an array of goods, including handcrafted jewelry, coquito, smoothies, festive cocktails, popcorn, sugar cakes, and tarts, to name a few. Children reveled in a bounce house and enjoyed free snow cones, while the soundtrack of the evening featured lively performances from Max and Compangie, featuring Oleik Ledee, and the Voices of Love Choir.
The formal ceremony, emceed by FTCO President Cindy Richardson, included an invocation by Rev. Ronan Nee Sarmiento, the blessing and lighting of the tree by Angie and Wayne Bryan, and a special segment honoring Brian Turbe, named the 2025 FTCO Honoree for his dedication to the community through his work as a registered nurse at the Roy L. Schneider Regional Medical Center.
True to tradition, the FTCO distributed free plates of Christmas ham and sweetbread to the crowd, a cultural gift embodying the season’s generosity.
After the ceremony, Santa Claus arrived in the village atop a Virgin Islands Fire and Emergency Medical Services truck. With help from the CBC, Santa distributed gifts to every child, spreading wide smiles and holiday cheer.
As the formal program concluded, the celebration continued into the night, with attendees dancing, visiting vendors, and enjoying warm conversations among the community.
