Every Christmas as a child, Samantha Adams would look forward to her mother’s intricate Christmas village display in their home, marking the start of the holiday season.
Years later as a preschool teacher, Adams, 38, found herself trying to describe the tradition to her classroom, without success. So, she decided to show them instead.
Her small classroom collection has since turned into a communitywide event at a downtown shop, that debuted in 2014 and is becoming more popular each year.
“I love being around all the kids who get excited by the lights and seeing them experience Christmas magic,” one visitor said as he walked through the dozens of tables featuring miniature towns and villages at Alaska Shirt Company.
The South Franklin Street store, closed in the offseason, donates its space for the monthlong holiday village event, which raises money for local nonprofits. Some 300 to 400 pieces make up the entire display, which spans the first floor of the business.
On one table, a bakery, post office and other stores line a snowy street, as figurine ice skaters glide on an icy lake. In another scene, Santa delivers presents in the streets to a neighborhood. There’s classics, too, such as Nutcracker and Christmas Nativity scenes.
“The (wise men) are all searching, but there is only one small baby Jesus in there, and they’re trying to find him,” Diane Hammond said, describing her favorite scene of the village. Hammond visited the Holiday Village Saturday night with her family before Christmas.
Part owner of Alaska Shirt Company and Trove Tamala Booton said the glowing feedback she receives from local families encourages her to donate the exhibit space for the event, year after year.
“The time and commitment to set up and maintain the Village is extensive, but well worth it,” Booton told the Empire in an email. “My favorite part is hearing back from families that visiting the Village is now part of their holiday tradition.”
The exhibit is run entirely by volunteers and community contributions. Admission is donation-only, and visitors can make a charitable contribution to one of four local nonprofits: AWARE (Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies), the Glory Hole, Southeast Alaska Food Bank and Meals on Wheels.
Since its first year in 2014, the Holiday Village has raised just over $10,000 for those organizations.
“The reason we chose those four nonprofits is because the demand for their services are so high this time of year, and it will always be for those four. It is so important … to meet those needs in our community,” Adams said in an interview.
Families visiting the Holiday Village can find many interactive activities there, while walking through the displays. There’s “I Spy”, caroling, live music and a photo booth. There’s also a “Find Santa” Challenge where children are invited to find a figurine Santa at every table to win a prize.
For Susan Jabal, 47, and her family, the Juneau Holiday Village has become a new tradition.
“It is a fun place to come and see the decorations things I don’t have at home,” she said. “I love to see the way people connect with one another.”
It’s not known how many people have passed through the Alaska Shirt Company, this year or years past, to see the holiday village. Adams said they don’t keep track of the number of visitors, but she does know that it has grown every year in popularity.
“(I’m) so happy there is so much community support,” for the village, she said. She noted that there’s something to be said about walking into a store where nothing is for sale this time of year.
“Every time someone comes in the door that has been here in previous years, says that this experience becomes a family tradition,” Adams said. “So many people come in here and say that ‘This is amazing because it reminds me of my childhood’ when their grandma or mom put up a village.”
One visitor whose story has stuck with Adams since the first Juneau Holiday Village, is that of Michelle Nakamura’s grandmother Marianne “Oma” Kujawa. Nakamura’s grandparents Art and Oma began collecting figurine houses for a holiday village in 1976. Their collection started small by putting just a couple of miniature houses under their Christmas tree. It became a family pastime to set up the village under the tree, in their living room and dining room windows, on their China cabinet, and in their hallway entryway.
“They had all kinds from churches to schools to post offices to stores, to regular houses to people and bridges and light posts,” Nakamura, 35, told the Empire.
After Art’s passing, Oma didn’t have the heart to display their pieces, but found great joy and comfort in visiting the Juneau exhibit. A year ago, Oma returned with a piece from her collection called “Tom’s Mill” to donate to the Juneau Holiday Village.
“We are not selling anything other than holiday spirit and good cheer,” Adams said, “and that is what the holiday season is about.”
Know &GO
This year’s Holiday Village will be open just one more day this year: Saturday, Dec. 30, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.juneauholidayvillage.org or Facebook page Juneau Holiday Village.
• Erin Laughlin is a student journalist at the University of Alaska Southeast. She can be reached at laugerin@me.com.
Victoria Stickel admires the displays at Holiday Village in the Alaska Shirt Company on Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. The Village is a fundraiser for the Southeast Alaska Foodbank, Meals on Wheels, AWARE and The Glory Hole. It will be open until Saturday, Dec. 30 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Delilah Bernaldo watches Kale Smith, 6, center, and Alec Muldoon, 4, as they look at the display at Holiday Village in the Alaska Shirt Company on Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. The Village is a fundraiser for the Southeast Alaska Foodbank, Meals on Wheels, AWARE and The Glory Hole. It will be open until Saturday, Dec. 30 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
