The spirit of Dallas’ Moon Mansion Christmas Party continues virtually
On Christmas Eve, Poppy Xander will perform Christmas songs online.
Musician and performer Poppy Xander plays the piano for a 2018 house party on Christmas Eve hosted by John Ashley Bellamy (far left with long beard) at his East Dallas home, a former Methodist Church known as the Moon Mansion. Bellamy died this month, and Poppy will now perform virtually for an online edition of the party.(Michael R Moore)
For decades, artist John Ashley Bellamy hosted legendary Christmas Eve parties at his East Dallas home, a former Methodist Church known as the Moon Mansion. The pandemic canceled any plans for the party this year, and Bellamy’s passing on Dec. 8 might mean it will never happen again. But singing along to Christmas carols for hours was always one of the main attractions, and it will carry on virtually.
John Ashley Bellamy, a Dallas artist and arts patron, died Tuesday, Dec. 8, at age 77. For many Dallasites, Bellamy’s death also means an end to a long-standing holiday tradition: the annual Christmas Eve party where eclectic crowds gathered each year to celebrate at Bellamy’s home, an old church known as the Moon Mansion.
The mansion served as a refuge for those seeking warmth on a night that can feel awfully cold for loners, and Bellamy was, for many, a big part of Christmas. He was a father that anyone would have dreamed for, Bellamy’s son, Gaelan Bellamy says. He provided all of the tools for what it would take to become a loving, caring, empathetic individual with integrity, and he really had all of those in spades … he did his best to pass that over to his children and all of those he would mentor. [His] reach was far and wide.”