MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT

Bright MAKING SPIRITS

Meet Santa at the Oswego Christmas Walk, courtesy of a magical snow globe scene

By Kevin Druley Photos by Locked In Photography

Determined to repeat the resounding joy she helped create last year, Wendy Greenslade is creating yet another magical display this winter. Families who delighted in the “Santa’s workshop” motif, which allowed children to visit Santa Claus in a socially distanced manner in 2020, will find a life-size vintage snow globe display during the Oswego Christmas Walk on Dec. 3. Not to mention the big guy himself. As before, Greenslade and her husband, Jayson, developed the meticulous design and construction, which will be situated within Greenslade’s Locked In Photography studio at 74 Main St. in downtown Oswego. “We wanted it to look nice and be something amazing that kids walk into and be in awe,” Greenslade says. Greenslade estimates some 400 families visited Santa during last year’s walk. The Santa visit is sponsored by the Oswego Downtown Association. Children posed for pictures free of charge adjacent to a Santa buffered by special glass that made the classic wish list exchange easy to decipher while providing a warm, homey visual. Getting a professional photo will be free again this year. Cringing at various photos of mall or department store displays in which large, utilitarian blocks of plexiglass separated St. Nick from his biggest fans, Greenslade then resolved to be different while also abiding by

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pandemic protocols. Angie Hibben still beams about the stream of positive feedback from a year ago. Given Greenslade’s profile, she anticipates similarly rave reviews this year. “This is so important to the kids,” says Hibben, treasurer of the Oswego Downtown Association board and president/CEO of the Oswego Area Chamber of Commerce. “The parents feel comfortable, Santa — because Santa is older — Santa is safe. The kids feel safe. The parents feel safe, but yet it’s magical.” The snow globe display is expected to feature fans blowing artificial snow inside an octagonal design, resembling a winter wonderland of a vintage globe, Greenslade says. Glass windows will be situated on the sides and top. The barrier didn’t seem to deter visitors a year ago. “We were seeing kids be less afraid of Santa. We were seeing them be so happy, and they did not feel like, ‘Hey, because I wasn’t sitting on his lap, I didn’t have my holiday experience,’ right?” Greenslade says. “So this year, we were like, ‘OK, maybe we can keep that same concept even though everyone wants to break free of that concept.’ But we can still protect our Santa. We can still protect each child and be very respectful of that purpose.” Families can augment the experience as they wait for Santa simply by being in line. Greenslade’s studio lies inside the DIY woodworking workshop A Lady and Her Tools, which is set to offer a selection of special, hands-on activities targeted to kids. For more information on the event, visit Locked In Photography on Facebook. Greenslade is eager to observe how visitors take to her spin on the Christmas season.

“It’s just something l like to be known for,” she says. “It’s fun. It’s my favorite holiday.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: These photos are from last year’s display. The 2021 vintage snow globe scene was still under construction at press time.