With the holidays just around the corner, it is wise to say that everybody in and around Chanticleer is going to start preparing for them. What is the Holiday Spirit? How do different families approach it? I took the great opportunity to explore Chanticleer and speak with families about what they like to pull out of the hat when the holidays roll around, and I found every story very unique and interesting. However, there are four stories that really interest me—stories about traditions that my own family can relate to. These stories are similar to what we do and are just downright cool! So without further ado, I should stop babbling and turn the stage over to these four special families. Drum roll, please, and let’s play “Jingle Bells” in the background.
Mr. Roy Phillips is no exception when it comes to the Holiday Spirit. He who lives on Holbrook Trail is the man who will always bring the light of holiday spirit to many other families. On Christmas Eve, he always dresses up in a Santa suit and stands in the middle of the road handing out peppermint sticks. Mmm, those peppermint sticks sound delightfully delicious! Two weeks before Christmas, he also sets up lights in his front yard and arranges them every night with a different holiday message! Some of his messages include “Hark” and “Love.” Now, of course, if it rains or something, he won’t be able to set up the lights, but that’s not all bad because residents still know that he is the delightful man who dresses up as Santa and always sends out memorable messages through a style of art, days leading up to Christmas and to the end of Hanukkah. If you’re curious to see a prime example of someone getting into the holiday spirit, check out Mr. Phillips. His favorite song is “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”
Our new friends this year, Matt and Tait Carpenter, who also live on Holbrook Trail, have their own way of spreading love and joy around the holidays. To start off, the family dreams of having a “White Christmas” this year, or at least Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter hope to watch their children bounce around in the snow. For the past nine years, they have lived in Savannah, Georgia, and they have experienced the beauty of these magical pieces of precipitation. Everybody in Chanticleer, keep your fingers crossed that this family’s wish comes true. Snow will make the holidays extra special for them.
Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter are very excited for their first Christmas in Greenville. One reason is that their little twins will finally be able to rip open presents. The year before, they were still a little young.
Another exciting thing that is going to happen to the Carpenters this year, which ties in with their normal holiday traditions, is that Tait’s mother and sister are going to come down and share the magic. Together, they will have a huge traditional Christmas dinner and hang out. Matt explained that while they celebrate the holiday, they will let Santa bring all the presents.
Another traditional thing the Carpenters will do this year is sit back with the kids and watch the magic of A Charlie Brown Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer unfold before their eyes. These are two of their favorite movies, and come on, who can blame them? Charlie Brown and Rudolph are awesome!
Aside from these heartwarming movies, the Carpenters' favorite Christmas songs include “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Jingle Bells.”
Speaking of “Jingle Bells,” “Jingle Bells” is also the Wolframs family’s favorite Christmas carol. They live on East Seven Oaks Drive and have two little boys named Walker and Hudson. While they, too, celebrate Christmas, they do so in a very unique way, a way I found intriguing. On Christmas Eve, they have Christmas dinner with family and friends and read the story of Jesus’s birth. After reading it, they send the children to bed and wait for Santa to bring true Christmas magic. When the family wakes up on Christmas Day, they have a leisurely breakfast and open their presents in a cool, collected manner so they can admire everything they receive. Sometimes, on Christmas, too, they head out for an afternoon lunch with friends.
Aside from “Jingle Bells” being the Wolframs’s favorite Christmas carol, Home Alone and Elf are their favorite movies, especially young Walker’s. Who doesn’t love Home Alone and Elf? “KEVIN!” Ha, ha. That never grows old.
The spread of holiday spirit in the Brill family, who live on Berkmans Lane, is the one I can relate to most. Theirs is very similar to how we spread ours. They have two kids, Ayden Clare and Riley, and together they have a remarkable time during the holidays! On Christmas Eve, they attend the service at Westminster Presbyterian Church and then have a fun-filled dinner out. One really cool thing they do is that, on Christmas Eve, each family member also receives a new pair of pajamas! Then, along with the new pajamas, they have dessert at home and open one present under their miraculous Christmas tree. Then, when all that is finished, and the children are ready for bed, the last thing they do is set out milk and cookies for Santa and food for his reindeer.
On Christmas morning for the Brill family, the fun doesn’t end. A bell is rung to tell Ayden Clare and Riley that Santa has been to their house and that they can come downstairs and open their presents. Usually, the family opens their presents first and then has a bit of a late breakfast. When they do have breakfast, though, they always make it very big and special. For the rest of the day, the two girls play with their toys and eat appetizers. They do have a Christmas dinner, but it usually isn’t as big as their breakfast.
Another interesting thing about the Brill family is that the two girls each have their own favorite Christmas movies and songs. Riley’s favorite movie is Frosty the Snowman, and her favorite song is “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” She also has a favorite book. Her favorite book is The Polar Express. Ayden Clare’s favorite song is “Jingle Bells,” and her favorite movie is Elf. Hers and Riley’s mother, Amanda, loves listening to Christmas songs by Mannheim Steamrollers.
Each family has a very different approach to the Holiday Spirit whenever the holidays come around, and each family’s story is beautifully crafted. Families in their own ways are works of art—they change and are redesigned in so many wonderful ways. The Holiday Spirit is something no one should ignore. Everyone has a Holiday Spirit; they just need to spread the magic in their own, unique ways. My family has their own way, these families have their own way, and you can too. With these words in mind, I wish all of you in Chanticleer, “Happy Holidays!”
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