Love of Christmas and country

COEUR d’ALENE — Leland McHenry and family came to Friday night’s caroling event to do more than sing.

They also wanted to give thanks and praise and promote peace and harmony.

McHenry, during a break between songs, offered an impromptu short prayer with the group of about 500 people gathered near The Coeur d’Alene Resort.

The Hayden man said he wanted to “show unity with the community and outsiders that come in that we are all together regardless if you’re Democrat, Republican, I don’t care. Jesus is here for all of us.”

The crowd of young and old sang loud and clear, with The Resort’s Christmas displays and lights glowing in the background and its cruise ships gliding on the dark waters of Lake Coeur d’Alene, taking passengers to the North Pole.

On a clear, cold night, with stars overhead and the moon shining bright, they belted out short renditions of many songs, including “Joy To The World,” “Come All Ye Faithful,”and “O Come O Come Emmanuel.”

Todd Koeppel with the organization “People’s Rights” said he joined in because he wanted to sing carols and celebrate Christmas.

“We absolutely love the holiday season and we’re not going to let anybody squash it for us,” he said.

The gathering was quickly organized in place of the fireworks and lighting ceremony that traditionally take place each year the day after Thanksgiving at The Resort. They were canceled due to efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The Resort's spectacular Christmas displays easily viewed from The Boardwalk and cruise ships came on several days ago.

The caroling was not associated with The Resort or any businesses, but just community members uniting to share the joy of the season. Some wore masks and there was some social distancing going on.

Many in the group continued their caroling as they walked along Sherman Avenue.

A request that everyone sing Jingle Bells was rejected.

“It’s important to be here for the world to see who Jesus Christ really is and why we have this holiday season, it’s to honor Jesus Christ,” said a woman who declined to give her name. “He is probably everybody’s here Lord and savior and we’re all like-minded and we all just really want to sing praises to him. It honors God. That’s the bottom line. It honors God.”

Steve and Kim Chambers of Blanchard arrived with children, grandchildren and in-laws, and many held lighted candles as they sang.

“We’re been doing this for 12 years, it’s a family tradition,” Steve Chambers said. “They canceled it this year, and we said, 'We’re coming anyway and we want to be here.'"

Kim Chambers added, “This is our way of saying, ‘You’re not telling us what to do. You’re not controlling us.’”

Steve Chambers echoed that statement.

“We live in America and we have the right to gather. Nobody has a right to tell us we can’t,” he said. “Merry Christmas.”

Kim said one reason they moved to North Idaho was the community’s love of country.

“We just don’t want to give that up. We love it,” she said. "And we want to continue to preserve our freedoms and rights."

“We want to pass that on to our grandchildren and our great grandchildren for many years to come,” Steve Chambers said.