Traditional community Christmas events will be taking on a different form, but the spirit of the holiday season figures to be alive and well in Jim Thorpe.

The town will have several different opportunities for locals to get festive this month including at least three different Christmas trees spread throughout the borough.

At Memorial Park, located on East 10th Street, a “Community Christmas Tree” awaits children to decorate it. Mayor Mike Sofranko said children and their families are invited to make ornaments and put them on the tree at any time convenient for them. Ornaments will not be returned at the end of the holiday season, so sentimental objects or ornaments should be avoided.

It is the first time the borough has had the community tree at the park, but town officials are hoping it won’t be the last.

“We really hope it can be a tradition,” said Council President Greg Strubinger. “Getting something like this started is often the most difficult part. Our junior borough councilman, Connor Rodgers, who is also president of the Jim Thorpe High School National Honor Society, is a very humble young man and he, along with fellow NHS members, put a lot of work into this initiative.”

NHS members not only put decorations and lights on the Memorial Park tree, which was donated by Crystal Spring Tree Farm in Lehighton, but also decorated the park’s gazebo.

Marzen Hardware and Jim Thorpe Community Watch donated the lights, and Betty Lou McBride donated red bows.

There will be no official tree lighting ceremony in Josiah White Park, but residents and visitors will still find a Christmas tree there courtesy of Yenser’s Tree Farm in Lehighton.

Meanwhile, at Sam Miller Field in the “Heights” section of the borough, the memory tree will return for another year. Organizers said the idea surfaced after seeing other towns such as Lehighton and Palmerton take on similar endeavors where families or organizations could decorate trees dedicated to loved ones or a certain cause.

According to Leroy Strohl, of the Sam Miller Field Association, a tree lighting ceremony will be held Saturday with more details still to be announced.

The ice rink at Sam Miller Field will open its second winter season after a rink expansion takes place the third week in December, according to Strohl. The rink will be 60 by 90 feet. Skating will be free and skates available to borrow at no cost. The rink, weather permitting, will be open daily from 4:30-9 p.m. during the week and on weekends from 2-9 p.m.

The Jim Thorpe Lions Club recently purchased 14 snowflakes, which now hang across the Sgt. Andrew J. Baddick Memorial Bridge, connecting the east and west sides of town.

“The downtown is already decorated really nice and we just thought, hey we have this new bridge, let’s do something there,” said Jim Trainer, Lions Club official. “We solicited some local businesses for donations as well as local banks and the chamber of commerce. This is the first time we’ve had snowflakes in that area and we’re really excited.”

The two different styles of snowflakes cost about $14,000 and were installed by local electrician Shawn Kresge.