‘We hope Santa Claus approves’ — Charlotte family turns garage into to-go Christmas.
If this were any other year but 2020, 96-year-old Gwin Dalton would be putting the finishing touches on her family’s Christmas celebration. The house in the Wendover-Sedgewood area would be perfectly adorned with Christmas decorations in every space possible, including the largest Christmas tree that could be found.
Dalton would be adding the dining table leaf, extending it to accommodate 16 guests. She would be covering it with a lace tablecloth, then carefully arranging the crystal and china.
She would make sure she had invited any neighbors who were otherwise spending the holidays alone. There would be homemade eggnog — a family recipe — and a traditional Christmas dinner. She would also be setting a children’s dinner table and a fun, holiday activity — planned by Dalton, of course.
“It was always such a close family tradition and lots of laughter and fun,” Dalton’s daughter, Dede Caughman, told CharlotteFive. “A whole day event.”
But this isn’t any other year — this is 2020, and Christmas as it has always been done isn’t an option.
COVID-19 protocols
Under the modified North Carolina stay-at-home order — effective Dec. 11 — there’s a nighttime closure period where some businesses are required to be closed to the public between the hours of 10 p.m.-5 a.m. Additionally, all residents are required to stay at home — or the place they will stay for the night — during the same time frame. Gathering limits remain the same — 10 people for indoor settings and 50 people for outdoors.
The deadly virus inspired Dalton to think outside of the box.
“I was just thinking, ‘How in the world will we do Christmas this year?’” she said. “‘How can we see each other on Christmas Day?’”
These two questions led Dalton to thinking about her garage, certainly a nontraditional gathering spot. Yet, there was something ingenious about it. With the door opened, it occurred to her that this was the most ventilated room in her home. Could it possibly become the location for a family Christmas celebration? From there, a new tradition started to form.
Instead of decorating the entire house, searching for that largest Christmas tree, extending the dining room table and covering it with lace and crystal and china place settings, the family is spending the days leading up to celebration preparing a new space.
Enter, 2020 Christmas at the Dalton house: A socially-distanced, mask-wearing holiday in the garage.
But garages aren’t traditionally beautiful, and this one was no exception. Dalton had never given any thought to its interior decor, the color of the walls, the feeling of the space. And who would? It’s typically a place to park a car, store a lawn mower, maybe a treadmill one never uses and if you’re lucky, a spot for a beer fridge. But it’s not traditionally a space one thinks of to host a special dinner.
Well, something could be done about the walls, at least. Dalton’s daughter, Caughman, just happens to be an artist. How about a festive scene, maybe an Alpine village, Dalton speculated to her adult child, who lives in Washington, D.C.
Caughman did what daughters do, of course. She made it happen. That involved travel from Washington, D.C., on two separate occasions to bring her mom’s vision to life and to paint her first mural (canvas is her usual backdrop). She spent the first few mornings sketching fir trees and mountains.
Dalton thought it would be great to add Santa’s workshop. So, Caughman sketched the workshop, and Caughman’s daughter sketched the toys. Then, the fun part — painting — commenced. Dalton steered the creative process, even painting a tree and softening up any areas in need of it.
Getting the children involved
Putting COVID-19 protocols at the top of the priority list, the family created a goal to then do what they could to make the celebration fun for the children, who have been involved from the start.
“I have nine great-grandchildren,” Dalton said. “Seven of them are here in Charlotte. All of them have contributed in some way.”
Whether painting reindeer, snowmen or presents, each child left his or her mark, with the youngest of them scribbling along the bottom of the mural.
Some of the children spent the days leading up to Christmas preparing centerpieces for the two long banquet tables. The inspiration for the centerpieces comes from Caughman’s childhood. When she and her sister were younger, they would collect pinecones and decorate them with jewels. Dalton would wrap small sugar cubes with decorative tape and place the “presents” under the “trees.”
That same sister, Millie Cox, taught the children how to decorate 10-inch, green spray paint-coated pine cones. The children’s creations will sit on a white felt tablecloth Dalton’s mother made 37 Christmases ago. Its red pom poms are a perfect fit for the informal occasion.
Christmas to go
On Christmas Day, two banquet tables will line the Alpine-themed garage. Food will be served in disposable containers and with plasticware at one end, homemade eggnog at the other. Each family will pass through the garage at designated times, and not all families will arrive at the same time. All elves must wear masks and keep their distance.
“The whole point is for everybody to be safe,” Caughman said. “But we don’t want anyone to miss out on our traditional Christmas dinner.”
If there’s inclement weather, everyone will take their food and presents home to eat dinner in front of their Christmas trees, Dalton said. If there’s nice weather, socially-distanced tables will be placed outdoors for family members who feel comfortable eating outdoors and distanced.
“It’s going to be fun,” Dalton said. “I think they’ll all say, ‘Can we have Christmas in the garage next year?’”
Lucky for them, Dalton has no immediate plans to cover the Alpine-themed creation.
This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 10:52 AM.
