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December 22, 2008
Christmas on Hatteras and Ocracoke – and elsewhere By IRENE NOLAN  We didn’t have nearly as many responses as we did for our call for costumed youngsters on Halloween. Maybe that is a reflection on how busy our readers are at this time of year. However, the responses we got were outstanding. We got e-mailed photos from about a half dozen islanders. And their decorations are indeed lovely. Our correspondent on Ocracoke, Sundae Horn, sent us photos from that village. As you can see, Ocracokers take holiday decorating seriously. Our most interesting response was from Bob Wasson of Statesville, N.C., who sent us photos of his family’s “Ocracoke Snowman,” along with the story of how they acquired this decoration that is now a regular part of the Wasson family Christmas. This is the story in Bob Wasson’s words: For many years, my wife Glenda and I have spent at least part of our Thanksgiving and/or Christmas holiday time at The Outer Banks. Sometimes it's Nags Head, sometimes north to Corolla, sometimes south to Ocracoke. Several years ago, we went to visit Glenda's daughter's family near Lumberton for Christmas. After exhausting the grandchildren for a couple days, we drove on over to Cedar Island for the ferry ride to Ocracoke. We enjoyed our usual delightful time on Ocracoke's beach and spent some nights at The Captain's Quarters and some nights at The Anchorage. It seemed to be a subdued year for Christmas decorations that year, but we enjoyed the lights that we saw as we drove or walked around the village at night. The best part of the trip was all the wonderful food in the restaurants that were still open. Then, after we were all packed up, checked out, and waiting for our ferry reservation, Glenda spotted him. She said, "Look at that snowman!" I didn't see any snowman, so she said, "In the dumpster! Somebody has thrown him away!" And then it came: "I want him! Climb up there and get him down!" So, taking my life in my hands, I climbed up on the dumpster and rescued the Ocracoke snowman. After dusting him off a bit, I managed to get him tied to the roof rack on our old Wagoneer. One of his arms was broken, but he wasn't in bad shape. We brought him home to Statesville, and he has been a featured part of our Christmas decoration ever since. If anyone who reads this knows his name or any of his background, we would love to hear from you. If you recognize the Ocracoke snowman, send us a note at editor@islandfreepress.org. From the Ocracoke snowman to the homes and businesses on Hatteras and Ocracoke, our Christmas decorations are joyful, whimsical, colorful, and a celebration of the season. On Hatteras Island, we have our own snowman. His name is “Fat Frosty.” This lighted, blow-up snowman has made a surprise appearance at several island homes. He first appeared at the home of Sue and Steve Jones in Frisco in mid-December.  Since then, he’s been at my house, at the houses of my neighbors – GeeGee Rosell, Anita and Stuart “Brud” Bills, Kim and Jerry Montgomery, Robert and Stephanie Doswell, the Lettieri family, and Mead Slagle. The idea is that you “gift” Fat Frosty to a friend or neighbor, who is then instructed to “pass him forward” to another friend or neighbor. This is somewhat more difficult than you might imagine. You must be sneaky to get Fat Frosty to another house without being discovered. And you must take Fat Frosty to a house with an accessible electric outlet. He requires power to blow up and light up. By the way, he comes with a gift bag explaining his origin and instructions for passing him forward. Kim Montgomery says that re-gifting Fat Frosty was “actually fun” – maybe in retrospect. She invited her neighbor, Elise Dixon, to accompany her on the adventure. Miss Elise is up there in years, and you would never know it except that these days, she gets around in a wheelchair. So Kim set out with Miss Elise – in her wheelchair, holding the deflated Fat Frosty in her lap. They were looking for a neighbor with an accessible outdoor electric outlet. “We had to go to four houses to find electricity,” Kim says. Meanwhile, Miss Elise kept fretting that someone might shoot at them over their nocturnal adventure. So far, all the Fat Frosty recipients have been tickled by the surprise. The same can’t be said for their animals. My Labrador, Daisy, didn’t like Fat Frosty one bit. My neighbors, the Billses, also had a dog spooked by the appearance of the chubby, lit-up creature. Their golden retriever, Sailor, was totally freaked out and would not go in or out the front door until Fat Frosty went away. Jerry and Kim Montgomery had a similar problem with their two dogs. John Lettieri thought the idea was a terrific one, and actually contributed an extension cord to the effort. Mead Slagle said Fat Frosty’s appearance at his house was “a pleasant surprise.” We don’t know where he will turn up on Christmas Day, but we’ll let you know what we can find out on the Fat Frosty watch. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all from the staff of The Island Free Press. CLICK HERE TO VIEW SIDE SHOW |
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