American Lighthouse Foundation

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
    • Historic Preservation
    • Lighthouse History
    • Programs & Public Access
      • Lighthouse Tours
      • Stay at a Lighthouse
  • Where We Work
    • ALF Interpretive Center
    • Lighthouse Projects
    • ALF Chapters
    • Affiliate Members
  • How to Help
    • Become a Lighthouse GEM!
    • Donate Today
    • Become a Member
    • Memorial Donation
  • Events
    • 2023 Annual Lighthouse Gala
    • Maine Open Lighthouse Day
    • National Lighthouse Day
  • Latest News…
  • Shop Online

Holiday Decorations and a Splendid Green Beam at Portsmouth Harbor Light

By: Bob Trapani, Jr., ALF Executive Director Published: December 10, 2010

Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse

Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse takes on a festive appearance each Christmas thanks to the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses (Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani)

Each night throughout the year, Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse faithfully guides mariners along the Piscataqua River to ports of call in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Kittery, Maine, but when the calendar turns to the month of December and temperatures trend downward, the beacon does more than guide seafarers – it warms their holiday spirits too.

Thanks to its “keepers” – Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, the sentinel is decked out for Christmas each season with festive decorations and strings of colorful lights that adorn the tower’s lantern gallery, windows and entryway.

Though other lighthouses around the country are “dressed up” for the holidays too, what makes Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse so special is that its festive appearance is not only for the admiring public, but also for Coast Guard guardians and those who go down to the sea.

The close proximity of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse to the Piscataqua River’s shipping channel and U.S. Coast Guard Station Portsmouth presents a unique opportunity to share a little Christmas spirit with those who ply the nearby waters.

Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse

Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse does more than guide mariners along the Piscataqua River during the Christmas season (Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani)

From deep-draft tankers and the occasional submarine to lobstermen and various Coast Guard assets, all are treated to the beacon’s merry sight as they pass by.

You might say that during the month of December, Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse adds to its duties of navigational safety by greeting the seafarer with a silent salutation of “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays.”

The symbolic greeting has to warm the heart of many a mariner who makes a living on the water, all while coping with December’s bitter winds and icy temperatures, for the sea knows no warmth at this time of year otherwise.

A built-in holiday aspect of Portsmouth Harbor Light’s festive appearance is its gorgeous fourth order Fresnel lens. At any other time of the year, the Fresnel lens, which is encircled by a green-colored Lexan panel to give the lighthouse its signature green light characteristic, is simply a different color navigation beacon than the nearby white light of Whaleback Lighthouse.

During the month of December, however, the aura of the green light is suddenly transformed into so much more. At Christmastime, one glance at Portsmouth Harbor Light’s green beacon aglow can immediately conjure up the notion that the sentinel’s altruistic purpose somehow goes beyond its normal benevolent assistance to the mariner. Though this notion cannot be defined, for those who feel Christmas in their hearts, the feeling nonetheless can be both profound and undeniable.

Fresnel lens

Portsmouth Harbor Light's Fresnel lens aglow (Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)

By combining the symbolic power and seasonal effect of the Fresnel lens with an array of holiday decorations and colorful lights, the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, succeeds each year in achieving the spirit of Christmas.

For as each vessel and boat passes by Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, the beacon’s merry appearance and silent salutation is transformed into a gift to the seafarer that exceeds materialistic boundaries.

The beauty of Christmas is that no matter where we are or where we are going, the joy of the season is best kept in our hearts and shared with others – something that a festively decorated Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse never fails to give and inspire for those who cast a glance its way during the holiday season.

Portsmouth Harbor Light

A lighted Christmas wreath adorns the entryway to Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse (Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)

Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses

Volunteers of the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse like (L to R) Jeremy D'Entremont, William Marshall and Ross Tracy help keep Portsmouth Harbor Light looking its best all year long (Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)

Portsmouth Harbor Light

Festive lights and decorations adorn the tower's lantern gallery, windows and entryway (Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani)

Portsmouth Harbor Light

The glow of Portsmouth Harbor Light's Fresnel lens grows brighter as dusk gives way to nightfall (Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)

Portsmouth Harbor Light

Seafarers on the Piscataqua River look for the guiding beam of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse (Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)

Share On: Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Pinterest

Filed Under: Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse Tagged With: christmas, coast guard, friends of portsmouth harbor lighthouses, lighthouse, new hampshire, piscataqua river, portsmouth harbor, seafarer

Comments

  1. Cheryl and Bruce Roberts says

    December 10, 2010 at 5:46 pm

    Another outstanding job, Jeremy. Again, you took us right back to the beautiful Maine lights as if we were there. Happy Holidays to you and all who care for this lighthouse and those of Maine. Thank you for sharing! All the best, Cheryl & Bruce

  2. Elinor DeWire says

    December 10, 2010 at 11:31 pm

    This makes me want to come for a visit! Jon and I have not been back to NH/ME since about 1996.

  3. Sheri Poftak says

    December 12, 2010 at 12:22 pm

    Happy Holidays Portsmouth Light from another light right up the coast!
    Wood Island Light. Wish we could decorate too! Sheri

  4. Josette d'Entremont says

    December 12, 2010 at 7:08 pm

    Great photos,jolie! See you this summer(early July) Jeremy…John and I will be driving down to the New England States to see the lights (your lighthouse cousin from Atlantic Canada!).

    Joyeux Noel from Nova Scotia!
    Josette ~
    (www.nslps.com)

  5. Josette d'Entremont says

    December 12, 2010 at 7:20 pm

    Tres beau! Joyeux Noel from Nova Scotia! http://www.nslps.com
    Josette d’Entremont 🙂

Make A Donation!

Help support the American Lighthouse Foundation by making a donation today!
 
Donate Button with Credit Cards

Sign up for email updates…

Join Our Email List
For Email Marketing you can trust.

News by Category

  • ALF News
  • Avery Point Lighthouse
  • Boon Island Lighthouse
  • Browns Head Lighthouse
  • Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse
  • Dutch Island Lighthouse
  • Halfway Rock Lighthouse
  • Lighthouse History
  • Little River Lighthouse
  • Long Point Lighthouse
  • Nauset Lighthouse
  • New England Lighthouse Lovers
  • New London Ledge Lighthouse
  • Newport Harbor Lighthouse
  • Oswego Lighthouse
  • Owls Head Lighthouse
  • Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
  • Perkins Island Lighthouse
  • Pomham Rocks Lighthouse
  • Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse
  • Prospect Harbor Lighthouse
  • Race Point Lighthouse
  • Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse
  • Sandy Neck Lighthouse
  • Whaleback Lighthouse
  • Wood End Lighthouse
  • Wood Island Lighthouse
American Lighthouse Foundation Logo

American Lighthouse Foundation

PO Box 565, Rockland, ME 04841
Ph: (207) 594-4174
Celebrating 25 Years!

Copypright © 2023 · American Lighthouse Foundation