FAITH — Ever since joining the Faith community earlier this year as owners of M & K’s Trolley Espresso, owners Mabel and Karina Jacome have truly become members of the small-town community. That continued this December with the “Christmas at the Trolley” event, which brought school groups and families to downtown Faith for carols and a nativity performance.

The event was scheduled for every night between Dec. 13 and Dec. 20, during which children and families from schools and youth groups throughout the area were invited to utilize the space behind the trolley, which had been turned into a hand-crafted Nativity scene, including a stable and a manger.

Karina said that the idea for the event came to the family as they approached the holiday season, and that they wanted to host a Christmas event that centered solely around bringing the “reason back to the season.”

“We wanted to gather the community, bring everyone together with the true meaning of Christmas, kind of like a Hallmark (movie),” said Karina.

Karina said that two church youth groups and one school group ended up hosting an event at the trolley, located at the intersection of North Main and School streets in downtown Faith. On Monday, Dec. 16, Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal M.I. Cristo La Roca performed the nativity in Spanish, while groups from Salisbury Christian School and Resurrection Life Church performed on Thursday, Dec. 19 and Friday, Dec. 20, respectively.

Arlene Cober, principal of Salisbury Christian School, said that the school typically alternates between performances aimed at different holidays. While Christmas was not on the schedule for 2024, when the faculty heard about “Christmas at the Trolley,” they viewed it as too good an opportunity to pass up.

“The children were so excited to be able to perform tonight. Just this weekend, the children went caroling at a few houses in the neighborhood around the school. We love being able to be active in the community,” said Cober.

Karina said that she and her mother, who run the trolley as partners, were hoping to host a similar event next year for Easter as well as other events throughout the year, but that they were not certain because they “plan them as we go.” She also said that the family hopes to continue the Christmas going every year.

“We’re just super happy to be in this town and we hope to make this a tradition for years, and even generations to come,” said Karina.