This is the story of Art and Mary's Reindeer. For nearly 30 years that I've lived in my house I drove past this old Santa & Reindeer display each Christmas. It was on the same road I used to take my kids to and from school. It belonged to a couple named Art & Mary Bryan. Art and Mary are in their late 80s now.. Art may be over 90. It had belonged to Art's mother before they inherited it, so it probably dates to the late 40's or 50's.
They lived in a little cape cod that was well over 100 years old . It had real wooden shutters that actually opened and closed.., a wooden shake roof, little upstairs dormers and eves with tiny windows...no rain gutters.. 20 coats of peeling paint that looked ½” thick. White with Forest Green trim. The inside of the house was like something from Disneyland. Wooden plank floors.. everything seemed to be in ¾ scale including the furniture. You had to duck your head to walk from room to room or to walk up the tiny little staircase that led upstairs. It was like “The Little Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe”. This house had tons of character. And no A/C!! These tough old birds lived all those years in this house with only window screens for ventilation. Every summer night they would be out on the side porch with their old dog at their feet, a cool drink in their hands, and a friendly wave to passerbys.
Right next to the house was this neat old chestnut tree that must have also been over 100 years old. The tree almost covered the entire one side of the house so you could hardly see it. It provided a lot of shade but it also served another equally important service. Along the street side it had this huge crooked branch maybe 25 feet long that ran parallel to the ground. It had become weak over time so Art actually made a wooden "crutch" to support the far end. Each year around Thanksgiving, Art would bring out this plywood Santa and it's 9 Reindeer and attach it along the tree branch with each Reindeer fixed progressively higher so it looked like they were taking off. The lead Reindeer, Rudolph, had a red electric light bulb clipped to the nose. The rest of it was lit up with spotlights on the ground. It was awesome and my kids looked forward to seeing it every year as did all the other kids...and adults! It was an annual ritual to drive by it on Christmas Eve. I can't believe in all the years we drove by we never took a photo but I’m sorry to say I don't have one :sad:
They would often have summer garage sales at the house and I would stop by to see what treasures they had and sit and chat with them. I always mentioned how much we looked forward to seeing "Santa's Sleigh" each Christmas and Art would tell the same story about how it used to be at his Mom's house on Martine Avenue. They always remembered me as "the guy who liked the old Santa and Reindeer".
Then, the last few years, the Reindeer were nowhere to be seen. Art was in failing health. It was sad to drive by that house on Christmas Eve and not see those Reindeer out there. It was like the end of an era. I stopped by a garage sale last summer...Art was in his lawn chair and he smiled at me but I'm not sure he knew me anymore. Mary would repeat everything I said to him in a really loud voice and Art would just nod. Then Art got moved to an assisted living center and I heard they were tearing the house down because it was deemed structurally unsound.
I saw Mary standing outside one day...they were boarding up the house and emptying the contents. I stopped to talk to her one last time and she says "the Reindeer are in the basement I want you to have them !". Now I really liked the Reindeer…. and Santa Claus...but I have no idea where I would put them! This thing is huge and that old house of theirs was just the perfect place for it. And it was a lot better when Art did all the work and I just had to drive by and look at it :smile:
But I just couldn't let it get bulldozed with the house after all these years.
She told me right where to look. I swung open the wooden "Bilko" style doors and down the steep concrete steps. The basement was lit by those old porcelain bulb fixtures where you pull the brass beaded chain so I lit my way as I went. To the left of the old oil burner there they were...right where Art had carefully stored them away at the end of each Christmas. They were all stacked up perfectly neat and tied together with twine. Santa and his Sleigh were leaning up against the wall behind them. It took several trips to get them all out including the sleigh which is like a full sheet of plywood. There was also a wooden tree and snowman that went along with it...I think Art added those later. The only thing I couldn't find was the long leather strap that used to run along the reindeer and up to Santa's hand.
I loaded it all up in the truck, gave Mary a hug and thanked her. She had a big smile on her face. I told her to let Art know it was in good hands.
The Reindeer have articulated legs that can be posed and the bolt tightened.
After I got home and stood them up in the garage I realized something didn't look right...oh no, the antlers were missing ! They were cut seperately and drop into a slot in the Reindeer heads. I had to race back to the house and hope to find them. "They have to be there" Mary says, and sure enough they were up on a shelf next to the furnace. Thanks Art!
Looking close I can't really tell how it was painted...
It doesn't look like stencils were used it looks like the whole thing was laid out in pencil and hand painted. Whoever did it was really talented. Just cutting it all out must have taken forever!
It wasn't but a few weeks later that I drove by and the house was leveled...and the grand old tree with it. 200 years of history gone in one afternoon. There's already a cheap flakeboard board house with plastic siding built in its place....looks like a big box I can’t tell the front from the back.
So yeah...I've got this 25 ft Christmas display taking up half of my garage now...:doah: I'm gonna have to store it up in the loft. I didn't have time this year, but I hope to get it set up proper next year when I have time to do it justice. I'll figure out some way . Somehow I have become the new "Keeper of the Reindeer".
Maybe Mary can come back to see it again and we can take a picture and send it to my old buddy Art...I think he'd like that.
They lived in a little cape cod that was well over 100 years old . It had real wooden shutters that actually opened and closed.., a wooden shake roof, little upstairs dormers and eves with tiny windows...no rain gutters.. 20 coats of peeling paint that looked ½” thick. White with Forest Green trim. The inside of the house was like something from Disneyland. Wooden plank floors.. everything seemed to be in ¾ scale including the furniture. You had to duck your head to walk from room to room or to walk up the tiny little staircase that led upstairs. It was like “The Little Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe”. This house had tons of character. And no A/C!! These tough old birds lived all those years in this house with only window screens for ventilation. Every summer night they would be out on the side porch with their old dog at their feet, a cool drink in their hands, and a friendly wave to passerbys.
Right next to the house was this neat old chestnut tree that must have also been over 100 years old. The tree almost covered the entire one side of the house so you could hardly see it. It provided a lot of shade but it also served another equally important service. Along the street side it had this huge crooked branch maybe 25 feet long that ran parallel to the ground. It had become weak over time so Art actually made a wooden "crutch" to support the far end. Each year around Thanksgiving, Art would bring out this plywood Santa and it's 9 Reindeer and attach it along the tree branch with each Reindeer fixed progressively higher so it looked like they were taking off. The lead Reindeer, Rudolph, had a red electric light bulb clipped to the nose. The rest of it was lit up with spotlights on the ground. It was awesome and my kids looked forward to seeing it every year as did all the other kids...and adults! It was an annual ritual to drive by it on Christmas Eve. I can't believe in all the years we drove by we never took a photo but I’m sorry to say I don't have one :sad:
They would often have summer garage sales at the house and I would stop by to see what treasures they had and sit and chat with them. I always mentioned how much we looked forward to seeing "Santa's Sleigh" each Christmas and Art would tell the same story about how it used to be at his Mom's house on Martine Avenue. They always remembered me as "the guy who liked the old Santa and Reindeer".
Then, the last few years, the Reindeer were nowhere to be seen. Art was in failing health. It was sad to drive by that house on Christmas Eve and not see those Reindeer out there. It was like the end of an era. I stopped by a garage sale last summer...Art was in his lawn chair and he smiled at me but I'm not sure he knew me anymore. Mary would repeat everything I said to him in a really loud voice and Art would just nod. Then Art got moved to an assisted living center and I heard they were tearing the house down because it was deemed structurally unsound.
I saw Mary standing outside one day...they were boarding up the house and emptying the contents. I stopped to talk to her one last time and she says "the Reindeer are in the basement I want you to have them !". Now I really liked the Reindeer…. and Santa Claus...but I have no idea where I would put them! This thing is huge and that old house of theirs was just the perfect place for it. And it was a lot better when Art did all the work and I just had to drive by and look at it :smile:
But I just couldn't let it get bulldozed with the house after all these years.
She told me right where to look. I swung open the wooden "Bilko" style doors and down the steep concrete steps. The basement was lit by those old porcelain bulb fixtures where you pull the brass beaded chain so I lit my way as I went. To the left of the old oil burner there they were...right where Art had carefully stored them away at the end of each Christmas. They were all stacked up perfectly neat and tied together with twine. Santa and his Sleigh were leaning up against the wall behind them. It took several trips to get them all out including the sleigh which is like a full sheet of plywood. There was also a wooden tree and snowman that went along with it...I think Art added those later. The only thing I couldn't find was the long leather strap that used to run along the reindeer and up to Santa's hand.
I loaded it all up in the truck, gave Mary a hug and thanked her. She had a big smile on her face. I told her to let Art know it was in good hands.
The Reindeer have articulated legs that can be posed and the bolt tightened.
After I got home and stood them up in the garage I realized something didn't look right...oh no, the antlers were missing ! They were cut seperately and drop into a slot in the Reindeer heads. I had to race back to the house and hope to find them. "They have to be there" Mary says, and sure enough they were up on a shelf next to the furnace. Thanks Art!
Looking close I can't really tell how it was painted...
It doesn't look like stencils were used it looks like the whole thing was laid out in pencil and hand painted. Whoever did it was really talented. Just cutting it all out must have taken forever!
It wasn't but a few weeks later that I drove by and the house was leveled...and the grand old tree with it. 200 years of history gone in one afternoon. There's already a cheap flakeboard board house with plastic siding built in its place....looks like a big box I can’t tell the front from the back.
So yeah...I've got this 25 ft Christmas display taking up half of my garage now...:doah: I'm gonna have to store it up in the loft. I didn't have time this year, but I hope to get it set up proper next year when I have time to do it justice. I'll figure out some way . Somehow I have become the new "Keeper of the Reindeer".
Maybe Mary can come back to see it again and we can take a picture and send it to my old buddy Art...I think he'd like that.
