Roughly two dozen people carrying battery-powered candles braved a short section of the trail at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday, Christmas Eve, for a candlelit walk hosted by Soldotna’s Christ Lutheran Church.

Pastor Meredith Harber said the tradition of the walk began as an easy way to gather and mark the holiday in 2020, against a backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s remained a part of the church’s programming because it “feels a little easier than a whole church service.”

She encouraged the group to take the walk slow and easy, to be careful on the ice and snow.

“This is supposed to be fun and light,” she said. “Talk and laugh, throw a snowball, do whatever you want. We’ll make our way down to the cabin, say a prayer, sing a song and make our way back up. Easy peasy.”

Over the course of around 15 minutes, the group proceeded down the trail to the Elwell Cabin, made brighter by the candles in each person’s hand.

The group together sang “Silent Night,” cards with the lyrics provided at the same time as the candles. Harber closed the program with a brief prayer.

“Good and gracious God, we thank you for the gift of this day,” she said. “We thank you for another time to gather and to think about what it means for Christ to have been born into our world.”

Further Christmas Eve services were held at Christ Lutheran Church and many others around the Kenai Peninsula that night.

For more information, find “Christ Lutheran Church” on Facebook.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.