4 minute read
Fjord | Winter 2019
from Fjord | Winter 2019
by Imagination
Everyone needs a little Christmas
What is your idea of the ideal Christmas? Quiet solitude with a book in your hand and a warm fire crackling on the hearth? Or do you embrace the holidays as an opportunity to share as many Christmas traditions and memories with family and friends as possible? I’m definitely the latter. As the world becomes increasingly humbug – I make no apologies for it.
As soon as I see the first flake of tinsel I become wrapped in holiday anticipation. It generally annoys most everyone around me with the exception of my teenage daughter, Charlotte, who promptly goes and digs for her box of holiday relics and demands a journey into the back 40 to pilfer a drooping pine – in November.
And yes, I do get it. There are people out there who completely abhor the holidays. Work grinds to a halt. We eat too much. We have awkward family moments.
Down surges the assault of commercials and focus on materialism (why aren't you rising at 5AM on Black Friday for $10 off the latest Frozen castle?) making it very easy to see why many have developed a deep dislike for the season. Replacing joy, debt and depression have become popular holiday hallmarks. And then there's the loneliness. Imagine how it feels for those far from family? Or perhaps with no family? Watching others celebrate just intensify the isolation.
We all know the story of the Grinch and Scrooge but we rarely examine the message of these classics. Rich Lowry, Boston Herald columnist, accurately summarizes: "The Grinch surpasses his fellow Christmas literary villain Ebenezer Scrooge by a considerable distance. Scrooge only turned away a dinner invitation, declined to make a donation to charity and was reluctant to give his clerk, Bob Cratchit, Christmas Day off. He didn’t try to ruin the holiday for the entire town."
Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, published The Grinch in 1957. His message applies as strongly now as it did sixty years ago. Isolated, arrogant and vengeful, but with kindness, the Grinch breaks free of hate.
Actor Benedict Cumberbatch explains the character he plays in the 2018 release of The Grinch to CNN: "When the Grinch realizes that Christmas isn't about materialism, it is about joy and kindness and generosity, he says love and kindness are the things we need most." Whoville aside, this is a message the whole world needs right now. The spirit of community and belonging is more important than ever.
Back to our cover story. Last year some of our closest friends thought we were nothing short of insane for recreating a 32' Santa Claus that once stood in Shelton. This year we are proud to go even further with joining in the efforts to reestablish Shelton as Christmastown USA.
With a giant tree maze and free holiday events through 12 days of Christmas there is sure to be something that will soften even the grinchiest of grinches.
Whatever your holiday vision – solitude or small town holiday celebrations Hood Canal is the best of all worlds and make the perfect spot to get away this holiday season and allow your heart to grow two times larger. #fjordspirit.
The Shelton Beauchamp Santa's Seasonal Return
Christmas is important to the timber town of Shelton. In 1962, to celebrate the Seattle World Fair, the town hired the Simpson artist, Clarence Beauchamp to build a giant Santa Claus.
Clarence Beauchamp arrived in Shelton in 1947 to begin a job with Simpson as the shop painter. “Beau” as he was known by his friends, often volunteered to ply his brush or chisel to many local projects including a totem pole with interchangeable heads ranking each camp’s safety record an Forest Festival sets and floats. Most recognizable for Shelton residents is Beauchamp’s log monument on Hwy 3. The 10’ log end was dedicated in 1953, as Mason County celebrated its 100th anniversary of logging.
Beauchamp designed and built the 32’ Santa Claus to commemorate Shelton’s Christmastown, U.S.A during the 1962 Seattle’s World Fair. The giant structure required the help of multiple crews and boom trucks to stand him on Railroad and First in Downtown Shelton. Give a “vivid message,” to tourists passing though that “Shelton is ‘Christmastown, USA’ when this eye-popping plywood Santa Claus rivets their attention.”
In the late 1960’s, citing dilapidation, the Santa was disassembled and stored until 1970 when the Shelton Chamber led efforts to restore him. Santa was revived so that he could greet visitors as they arrived in the area from Highway 101.
November 2018, volunteers came together to build a replica of the Beauchamp Santa. Over the decades the design had been unsympathetically edited. Considering the weathering of the wood, it was feared that more damage would be done if it was moved from present attachments. Instead, using Beauchamp’s original design from photos, artist Wayne Wenstob created a scale replica of the original Santa Claus.
The completed 32’ Santa was placed at Toziers Brothers Ace Hardware on Mill Street where families could purchase trees as well as take pictures. People who remember placing their own faces in the doll were able to use their smartphones to recreate the image of their children and grandchildren.
Recently he was relocated to a seasonally permanent location in Overlook Park near Beauchamp's log monument. He can once again greet visitors from the south during the holiday season.
