Thursday night, I had the privilege of attending the City of Daphne’s open house and tree lighting ceremony. The event was so much more than I expected it to be and blew Fairhope’s tree lighting out of the water.

I don’t mean to foster any sort of competition between the two cities, and Fairhope’s tree lighting was amazing in different ways. However, the event I attended Thursday had a warmth to it that Fairhope’s lacked (despite being a frosty 50 degrees out).

When I went to Fairhope a couple of weeks ago excited for the grandeur and snow, I brought along my one-year-old daughter and brother. Chase had to leave me behind as the crowd was too thick to venture close with a stroller in tow, and he was taking photos for me.

I stood in the back babbling nothings to Addy and inevitably had to pick her up and hold her in my arms as people meandering through were kicking her stroller accidentally. There was an overwhelming disregard for other people, even ones obviously content to stand still.

When the lights went out, I couldn’t hear anything that was going on until the crowd started counting, and the snow barely made it to where I was standing.

The whole experience jaded me against bringing Addy out to these things, but I regret not bringing her to Daphne with me.

Walking up to city hall, there were no cigarette-wielding out-of-towners clutching beers and lumbering through the masses. In fact, there were no masses, just a steady hum of conversation with the occasional delirious scream from a kid playing with friends.

Citizens were huddled around the tree, laughing and talking about their days with hot chocolate served to them at a stand staffed by cheerleaders.

A small train for the younger children wound around the building and blocked off street, and parents waited patiently in line with their kids, content in the company of their neighbors.

Inside, more refreshments awaited with rows of tables popped up in the city council chambers offering a place to sit, take a break from the chill and congregate.

Mayor Dane Haygood signaled for the WJ Carroll choir to come up, and as we all migrated back to the tree, I felt the overwhelming sense that I was intruding. Not that anyone minded my presence or wasn’t welcoming, quite the opposite actually. Just that this was an event for people who genuinely loved their community.

I looked on as the choir sang “Silent Night” and was choked up as the director motioned for the crowd to join their voices. These sort of intimate, small-town moments are what makes living in Baldwin County so great and something we need to fight hard to protect.

Turning to leave, I noticed most people weren’t rushing off to vainly attempt avoiding traffic. No, the citizens of Daphne hung around to say lengthy farewells to people they would more than likely see the next day. As I walked away, I knocked into a woman standing behind me (not too close, I had a comfortable fair catch halo around me). We both apologized profusely to the other, and I grinned as I got into my car.

There truly isn’t any pushing in Daphne.

Crystal Cole is editor of The Courier. You can reach her at crystal@gulfcoastmedia.com.