Santa Sharon has a deal for you. For more than 40 years, Sharon Ehrig decorated her home on Woodlawn Avenue North with thousands of Christmas lights and other decorations. Her home was so brightly decorated that it was on the old-time Metro bus tour of Christmas lights for 10 years. And for 18 years, Ehrig dressed in a Santa suit and sat on her front porch, rocking for hours as visitors passed by. But all that ended in 2011 after Ehrig…
Sharon Ehrig, also known as Wallingford's Woodlawn Santa, phoned to let us know she won't be able to don the red suit and wave from her porch during this year's holiday season: "Because of my husband's needs this year and our health, I'm not doing Santa, much to my dismay," she told me. "I'll decorate the porch a little bit, but I'll definitely be downsizing this year, which is really a blow for me." In years past (16, to be exact!) Sharon…
Oh noes! Bad news, folks. Woodlawn Santa (aka. Sharon Ehrig) is out of commission for the season. Sharon broke her right wrist this morning and will be unable to wave from her porch at 3916 Woodlawn Ave this holiday season. She will not be on the porch for the rest of the year. But Santa's lights are on! Something like 15,000 of them, so do drop by if you enjoy Santa's Christmas decorations. I sure do. Tonight the weather is mild,…
I love this time of year for many reasons, one of which is my annual phone chat with Woodlawn Santa (aka Sharon Ehrig), who usually leads the conversation with a rousing "Ho ho ho!" This year, she had something else to add: "Christmas is going up!" This is great news. Even better, Santa has a clean bill of heath this year. You may recall that last year Santa battled breast cancer and was unable to put up her usual Christmas lights…
When I answered my phone today, and the person on the other end gave a rousing, "Ho ho ho!" I knew Sharon Ehrig was doin' o-kay. And she is! Also known as "Woodlawn Santa," Sharon Ehrig is one of the bright lights in Wallingford. I know some of you are waiting to hear how Sharon is doing after her breast cancer surgery, so I'll just say it: she's doing great! The surgery did not reveal any new concerns or problems. Yay! …
As you summon your holiday shopping derring-do, prepared to face the battle of the crowds, you might want to consider making a stop at J.C. Penney up in Northgate. Way out of the neighborhood, I know--but here's why: Any purchases you make at the store between now and December 14, J.C. Penney will round up to the nearest dollar and donate the difference to the Wallingford Boys and Girls Club. The spare change adds up, too, as WBGC board member Jacqui…
My 4 year old has had a love-hate relationship with Department Store Santas for the past, well, four years. He’s super into the “real” Santa, of course, but only likes to admire the store Santas from afar. He particularly likes how Santa wears white gloves and never fails to mention them. “Oh, Mommy, see Santa? He’s waving just to me…with his white gloves.” We decided to do our first Santa visit of the season at Wallingford Center, by way of Mud…