Time to trim: Prepping for Christmas goes on, despite COVID

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News on the national scale seems pretty bleak but around Port Townsend it’s already been beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

A contingent of PT Main Street Program decorators were hard at work downtown early last week, led by Chris Kauffman and Michael Rosser of Michael’s Handyman & Labor Services, putting up and adorning the community Christmas tree at Haller Fountain.

It was the latest step in the group’s 2020 holiday program, which includes an extended Small Business Saturday, decorated merchant windows, festive lights aplenty, and even virtual visits with Santa himself. 

The tree, a 16-foot Nordmann fir, was put in place by the city of Port Townsend Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, said Mari Mullen, executive director of the Port Townsend Main Street Program.

Among the decorators, helping hands ranged widely in age.

“Students from Port Townsend High School and Blue Heron Middle School decorated ornaments in the woodland critter theme, which ties to our Winter Window Wander promotion, [and] those ornaments decorate the Haller Fountain,” Mullen said. “Port Townsend High School art teacher Michele Soderstrom and artist Margie McDonald coordinated that project as part of PT Artscape.”

Other decorations include large snowflakes in Uptown, wreaths by the ferry terminal and city hall, and also lights in nearly 100 trees downtown, a project funded by city of Port Townsend Lodging Tax Advisory Committee.

In a plethora of windows downtown, too, holiday spirit is on full display.

“The ‘Winter Window Wander’ is a self-guided tour of business windows,” Mullen explained.

Families are invited to tour the windows and fill out the entry cards available at the participating stores, and there is a QR code on the card and store sign which links to a map showing the different windows.

A prize drawing is planned at the end, which includes small gifts, gift certificate for hot chocolate with handmade marshmallows from Old Whiskey Mill and a year’s subscription to The Port Townsend Leader.

The tree was lighted Saturday, a holiday happening streamed live on the Port Townsend Main Street Program Facebook page.

Next up on the seasonal slate: “Zoom with Santa” on Saturday, Dec. 19.

“We are partnering with Key City Public Theatre to do ‘Zoom with Santa’ visits — more virtual fun,” Mullen said. “It is geared for pre-K through sixth-graders.”

Email admin@ptmainstreet.org or visit www.ptmainstreet.org to learn more.

The winners of the holiday window display contest were recently chosen. Abracadabra (936 Water St.) was crowned the champion by Main Street Program officials. What’s Cookin (844 Water St.) took second place, and Conservatory Coastal Home (639 Water St.) was named honorable mention.