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Marine1955
12-25-10, 10:08 PM
A quintessential Christmas

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From Santa to decór, traditions play an important part in Christmas.
By Shajia Ahmad
sahmad@gctelegram.com
When Bill Pilgrim first put on a Santa Claus suit eight years ago, he’d stuff a pillow underneath his garments to mimic the physique of the jolly old man from the far north.
“But I don’t need one anymore,” Pilgrim said and laughed heartily, as he held his paunch in place. “I outgrew my first one real quick.”
The imaginary old man said to bring presents to well-behaved children on Christmas is conventionally pictured as a jolly old fellow with a white beard and a cherry-red coat trimmed with snow white fur.
And Pilgrim sure fits the profile.
The 55-year-old Holcomb resident who has been voluntarily playing Santa for family, friends, and complete strangers for nearly a decade has a thick white beard, nearly snow-white hair, and a wide black belt to hold in the belly that shakes when he laughs like a bowl full of jelly.
Once the suit is on, Pilgrim is the spitting image of Kris Kringle himself, and when the kids sitting on his lap tug at his beard, sometimes they can’t believe their eyes, he said.
“Once they come in, some of them are awestruck,” Pilgrim said last Saturday while playing Santa inside the showroom at Burtis Motor Co., 601 W. Kansas Ave. “That’s why I love doing this, making a child’s dream come true. I’ve spent a lot of time and money getting (to look) this way, and if I can see a kid’s eyes light up, that makes it all the worthwhile.”

Father Christmas

Pilgrim says he doesn’t like the phonies — the skinny Santas, the fake-bearded Santas, the Santas who don’t exhibit enough spirit for the young children who are certain he’ll come and fill their stockings before Christmas morning.
Though American celebrations of Christmas were rejuvenated in the early 19th century, the image of Father Christmas has remained an important Christmas tradition for centuries, both for those for whom Christmas is a sacred religious holiday and for those who take part in the worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon.
According to the History Channel, American stores began to advertise Christmas shopping in the 1820s, and by the 1840s, newspapers were creating separate sections for holiday advertisements, which often featured images of the newly-popular Santa Claus in his red suit.
But America’s present-day Santa Claus was not the first St. Nicholas-inspired gift-giver to make an appearance at Christmas time. Similar figures have been popular all over the world.
Christkind or Kris Kringle was believed to deliver presents to Swiss and German children. In Scandinavia, a jolly elf named Jultomten was thought to deliver gifts in a sleigh drawn by goats. And Pere Noel is responsible for filling the shoes of French children, also according to the History Channel.
Last Saturday, 3-year-old Kayden Peterson slowly climbed into Pilgrim’s lap to take his very first picture with the red-suited Santa.
His mother, Tami Peterson, said she brought Kayden and his little brother, Austin Laplant, 1, after they heard on the radio that Santa would be at Burtis to take photos with kids and listen to their wish-lists.
“(Kayden) asked me to bring him because he wants to know if (Santa) lives at the North Pole. He said he wanted to ride in Santa’s sleigh, but I told him he couldn’t do that,” the mother of two said and laughed.
When sitting atop his lap, whether it’s the children of strangers or one of his own four grandchildren, Pilgrim said kids ask for all kinds of things: G.I. Joe action figures, laptops, bikes and Barbie dolls.
But listening diligently and playing Santa isn’t always a day in the park.
Sometimes he gets hot in his suit. Sometimes Pilgrim can tell the kid is getting sick on his lap and could vomit.
“They even poop on my lap,” Pilgrim said and laughed, referring to the diaper-wearing babies he often shares a few moments with while a mother of father snaps a cherished photograph with Father Christmas in the flesh.

Hanging of the Greens

Inside Saint Thomas’ Episcopal Church on Main Street, the simple sanctuary comes alive with forest green foliage in just a short time, thanks to the efforts of church-goers following Sunday morning’s service.
Family members and friends at Saint Thomas came together to help hang the greenery last Sunday in preparation for the Christmas Eve service, many saying that the annual tradition has special meaning for them every year.
The Hanging of the Greens is based on the English tradition of decorating the home with wreaths, garlands and evergreens for Advent and Christmas, and in a church setting it readies the sanctuary — and the church’s members — for the coming of Christ.
Following Sunday’s service, church members decorated the sanctuary by lining the walls and doors and windows behind the altar with greens, placing small colorful candle holders with small wax votives on windowsills, and lining the pews with tapered candles and large red bows.
“Now it feels more like the beginning of Christmas because Christmas is about Jesus’ birth,” said Palla Lang, who has been attending the church for nearly 60 years and helped pin bright red flowers along the strings of green holly. “I think the true meaning of Christmas is sometimes lost on some of us.”
Her granddaughter, Jennifer Kemp-Espinosa, agreed.
“This day brings it back to me, and the kids love to do this,” Kemp-Espinosa said. “It’s gets us in the real holiday spirit because I think we lose sight of Christmas with the focus on buying gifts. The hanging of the greens reminds us of what it’s all about.”
Even for, Pilgrim, who’s again playing Santa this year, Christmas has special meaning.
“It means everything to me because it’s the time of giving. You don’t have to be rich to give,” he said. “You can give our of your own heart. I’m not a rich guy, but I give what I can.”
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Read the full article at http://www.gctelegram.com/features/SWL-ChristmasTraditions-12-25-10 (http://www.gctelegram.com/features/SWL-ChristmasTraditions-12-25-10)

sparkie
12-26-10, 07:24 AM
I always knew Santa was a Marine.

doc h fmf
12-26-10, 09:40 AM
Godbless You Bill

Semper Fi My Brother

Stephen Doc Hansen Hm3 Fmf

Rocky C
12-26-10, 03:12 PM
I always knew Santa was a Marine.


:thumbup::D:usmc:.

Great article Bill !!!

God Bless and Merry Christmas Brother.

Semper Fi,
Rocky

txoleander
01-14-11, 11:53 AM
Hey Bill, my 7 year old granddaughter says she can tell if it's a fake Santa just by looking at his boot's or shoes.......can't fool her...:)