CHRISTMAS spirit is alive and well in Port MacDonnell with stuffed Santas and Christmas lights brightening the streets, delighting residents and visitors.
From a large Santa Claus on a surfboard to a smaller version of Father Christmas on a bicycle, there were different themes at several homes in the fishing town.
Haydn and Helen Egan always join in the fun, creating a different stuffed Santa each year for the festive season.
“We try to change ours up and this year we have some of Mrs Claus’ washing hanging out the front beside Santa,” Mr Egan said.
“It’s great for the community and visitors to the town, even this morning we had someone stop and take a photo, which is something that happens regularly.”
Ms Egan said being involved was a great way to share the Christmas spirit, but believed the festive season may have crept up on people this year.
“It seems to have come around pretty quick and there are probably 10 or more around town this year, we have had around 20 in the past,” Ms Egan said.
“I think a few have moved on from the town and unfortunately people had parts of theirs stolen, so they probably decided to stop doing it.”
While the stuffed Santas were slightly down in numbers, Mr Egan said it was great to see so many Christmas lights up around the town.
“There are probably more lights than I have ever seen in Port MacDonnell this year, so that is great to see,” he said.
“We have also had our Santa by the Sea event, where Santa comes in on board a boat to see the children, which was great.”
Ms Egan said the community came together during the festive season, but encouraged others to invest in promoting the region.
“It would be great to see more people get involved in initiatives like the stuffed Santas and embrace events that are put on to really promote our town,” she said.
“With the foreshore project happening and completed in the next 12 to 18 months, we will hopefully see that happen.”
