Bathing their starved, eagerly anticipatory minds in the fleetingly familiar fragrances of Christmas holly and fir, 659 happily smiling Culver City children brought 643 parents shlepping 915 camera phones to Town Plaza on the chilliest evening of the season to melodically revive Christmas music from the 19th and 20th centuries with 21st century spirit, celebrating the traditional lighting of the community Christmas Tree.
The blended promising young voices of students from La Ballona Elementary and next door’s Lin How Elementary talentedly entertained the throng. Their shining images will appear on 916 cell phone screens this morning.
Those who were not smiling as they entered the jampacked passageway between the historic and dazzlingly updated Culver Hotel and the brilliantly illumined facade of the Pacific Theatres were asked to leave.
First stop was one of the grand old human facades of the community, the ever-sharp (even though he never worked for the company) 86-year-old Fred Iglesias.
How do you celebrate Christmas?
“Quietly.”
With family or friends?
“With friends.”
Any family traditions that you follow?
“No.”
You are planning on spending a dull Christmas?
“Yes.”
Do you look forward to Christmas?
“Not particularly.”
Eight-year-old button-cute Ginger Anderson-Willis, a student at Ocean Charter School who brought her Aunt Nancy and Uncle John Kuechle, were next to pass in front of the Christmas Tree microphone.
Aunt Nancy explained a Christmas Eve tradition for the relatively best voices among her relatives:
“We get together with about 10 or 12 members of my family, my brothers and their children. Christmas Eve, we go caroling on the beach in Long Beach where no one can carry a tune and no one knows the words to the song.”
At that juncture, Aunt Nancy introduced her youngest niece, Ginger.
When her age was guessed at 54, Ginger politely demurred, and Aunt Nancy said the age estimate was not so far afield since she will turn 9 in April.
The first question for Ginger:
What is the best part of Christmas for you?
“I don’t know.”
What do you want Santa to bring you?
“A hamster.”
How old should the hamster be?
“A baby.”
A boy hamster or a girl hamster?
“I want a girl hamster.”
What would you like to be when you grow up?
“I don’t know.”
We learned what happened later from Uncle John after niece Ginger and the Kuechles departed Town Plaza:
As we were driving home, Nancy asked our niece what she liked best about the evening. When no answer was forthcoming, Nancy started offering options … “The choirs? Santa Claus? Dinner? Being interviewed for the newspaper?”
After sitting silently through the list, at the last one Ginger straightened up. She demanded to know, in a loud voice, “Was that for the newspaper?” When we answered affirmatively, she said, “If I had known, I would have given more mature answers.”
Apparently she thought you were some random guy walking around with a tape recorder.
