Lighting the Lane: North Ann Arbor Street Christmas Eve Tradition More Needed Than Ever

They call it Santa's Runway.

Every year, on Christmas Eve, neighbors on North Ann Arbor Street line their street with luminaries.

Last week, families on the street gathered in a backyard -- socially distanced  -- and placed candles in the white paper bags. Thursday, around 4 p.m., the neighbors placed the bags along Ann Arbor Street - from the old Union School to Bennett Street. And then they walked the route and lit the candles.

The tradition is 23 years old. While the COVID-19 pandemic changed how it was done, the neighbors were determined to do it again in 2020.

"It felt even more necessary than most years," Val Mann said. 

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