Christmas afloat

Mathis Winkler

On Friday, Karen Thibodeau didn’t look like she’d been partying for

five days straight.

The 50-year-old grandmother and owner of an airbrushing company in

Rancho Cucamonga seemed cheery and excited as she vacuumed the deck of

her motor yacht “Endless Honeymoon” and checked on the Alfredo linguine

and meat balls simmering in electric pots below.

For the last six years, Thibodeau has brought friends and customers to

Newport Harbor to view the annual Christmas Boat Parade. She considers it

her mission to introduce her fellow Inland Empire residents to the hugely

popular event.

“Seeing the faces, the hugs and kisses at the end of each night, it’s

just perfect for the holiday season,” she said.

Thibodeau said she spends more than a week decorating her boat to make

sure that even the bath towels have little Santa bears on them.

The main decoration on the bow is a different matter, Thibodeau said.

This year, her son Reggie and several others constructed and painted a

“rock ‘n’ roll Santa” in an old-fashioned race car, winning second place

in the parade’s “Lights and Animation” category.

Thibodeau said last year’s “Millennium Bug” theme got recycled at the

New Year’s Eve party at her Ontario home.

Although she uses the parade parties on her boat to thank customers

for their business during the year, Thibodeau said it’s not as if she’d

stay away otherwise.

“I’m down there, dancing away for the whole four hours,” she said.

“And then I go and ask people, ‘Can I get you something?” and they say,

‘We want what you have.’ By the end of the night, I have no voice.”

Thibodeau doesn’t get much sleep during the week, which costs her

about $4,000 for food alone.

“Last night, people didn’t leave until 2 in the morning,” she said.

“And then I get up at 7:30 to clean.”

But then there are holiday moments that make it all worth while. A few

years ago, a woman who’d just lost her mother came aboard without any

interest in celebrating Christmas, Thibodeau said.

“Afterward, she said, ‘I’m putting up the [Christmas] tree,’ ”

Thibodeau said.

Although some irresponsible alcohol consumption on boats in the parade

has led to near collisions a few times, Thibodeau said there’s pretty

much nothing that will keep her away.

“As long as I’m healthy, I want to do it,” she said, returning to her

makeshift kitchen to finish preparing her buffet.