Passersby near KNOM studios have an extra reason to think of Christmas these days. High atop our FM transmitter tower, our Christmas star is lit, brightly punctuating the Nome skyline.
As Static readers may know, our Christmas star — which we illuminate at the onset of every Advent and keep lit throughout the Christmas season — is one of our oldest holiday traditions, and given the open landscape of our region, it’s visible for miles, a symbolic beacon seen by local residents, travelers, and even airplane passengers.
Of course, it’s hardly our only way of marking the season. Our volunteer producers work on the latest installment of our annual Christmas radio drama, and all on staff help with our annual Christmas Call-In Show, during which listeners can personally say a Christmas greeting to far-flung friends or family.
Our music and radio spots are Christmas-themed, too, and on Christmas Day, we broadcast live Mass from our local parish, St. Joseph Catholic Church in Nome, with special thoughts and prayers going to the many listeners in rural, Western Alaskan communities that have no local priest. Our studios — and St. Joseph church — are bedecked with many of the same types of decorations that may adorn your homes, although in the case of St. Joe’s, there’s a loving nod to rural Alaska: in the manger scene (pictured below), Mary, Joseph, and the Christ child are all wearing Alaska-Native-style parkas.
In ways simple or subtle, we’re doing what we can to make this season bright for our region. Thanks for making it possible. Merry Christmas!
