CHICO — There’s something about the way Santa and Mrs. Claus look out from the second story of the West Wind Drive house that makes viewers know they’re special.
Dressed in rich red and white, they have a sweet expression on their faces, and you could almost think they were sharing a private joke.
That’s exactly how Maxine Whelchel wanted it. Not only did she take needle to cloth to make them, but had the house designed with a big window so that the Christmas couple could easily be seen from the street. The window reaches from the floor to nearly the ceiling.
That also gives an advantage to Suzanne, the family’s golden retriever.
“She just loves looking out the window especially if there are neighbors and their kids walking by. She loves kids.”
If there’s a theme at the house at 1206 West Wind, it’s about family.
“I do this for the community and especially for the kids.” One of Whelchel’s underlying themes is “Don’t take your family for granted.”
Decorating the house with lights, flowers, trees both inside and out has been a family affair for the Whelchels, and now includes the three grandchildren.
All this started more than 25 years ago over on Quadra Court, with red and white candy canes and a few light strands on the house and bushes.
Twenty-one years ago, the Whelchels built the house on West Wind. Year by year the family added to the holiday decor, both bringing in a tractor from the family’s construction company and adding more decorations. It was big neighborhood news when the tractor arrived because the kids got rides around the block.
Now the tractor is the property of Elf Stewart, who made an appearance and was an instant hit. He’s another handmade creation by Mrs. Whelchel, who also mended his ouches from being outdoors. One year, a hole appeared near his chin. Voila, Stewart suddenly had a beard.
A construction worker puts up the roof lights, but the family does the rest of it, including son Kyle and daughter Melanie, and their kids.
Mrs. Whelchel handles a lot of it, starting before Thanksgiving to figure out “What’s the plan for this year.”
Santa letters
As in years past, there is the Santa letters mailbox eager for a children’s wish list. If the child wants a letter back, please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope, asks Melanie Whelchel, who creates the answering letters, putting in her own touches, like reindeer dust or words of encouragement.
“I’ve always tried to add something a little different (to the house), something unique that people would only see here, something the kids would enjoy. I really do it all for the kids.” Inside the house, her handcrafted touch is highly visible.
The Whelchels love to see how others decorate their homes too.
Mrs. Whelchel loves to drive along Songbird Drive, appreciating the handmade touches she sees there too. That famed street off Keefer Road features a lot of handmade lawn decorations, from wooden cutouts of the Nativity to geese in flight and humongous poinsettias.
“You know it doesn’t matter what they have up. It’s about making people smile. That’s what Christmas is all about,” says Mrs. Whelchel.