A LOOK BACK:Remembering the Salute to Santa Claus, 1953

Christmas will be here in a few days, and the magical feelings that accompany it are beginning to show on the faces of the children around the city.

Even as adults, we never forget those feelings of Christmas we had as a child, watching mother baking holiday cookies and helping dad decorate the Christmas tree with some homemade paper ornaments that you had made in school.

When I was growing up in the 1940s and 50s, Christmas decorations came out about two weeks before the holiday.

Store employees would begin decorating their show windows with scenes of Christmas, and cities, both large and small, would begin decorating their main streets.

Wreaths, brightly colored lights and large bell-shaped decorations were hung across streets and boulevards to add to the Christmas spirit.

Seeing the houses ablaze with lights at night, kids could hardly contain their excitement.

Pacific Boulevard in Huntington Park was truly magical for me, with Christmas decorations stretched across the wide boulevard, decorated store windows and the Christmas parade on Pacific.

I can still remember one of my classmates in Huntington Park High, Trudi Fertig, riding as queen in one of those parades.

But Huntington Park didn’t have a monopoly on Christmas parades. Nestled south, in the small beach community of Huntington Beach, residents were preparing to hold their own annual Christmas parade.

Early television may have kept some people indoors for Christmas, but not Huntington Beach youngsters and their parents. They were looking forward to the annual “Salute to Santa Claus” event and the parade along Main Street on Dec. 4, 1953.

Bill Gallienne and members of the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce were busy putting the last bits together for the parade, to be held on Main Street on a Friday night.

Families gathered early to find a good place on Main Street to catch sight of the big man in the red suit.

The hour-long event began at Sixth and Main at 7 p.m. and wound along Main toward the Pavalon ballroom at the pier.

The theme for that year’s event was “Christmas Fantasia,” and all roads led to Huntington Beach that evening.

The parade began with a torch-light brigade headed by Capt. Joseph Fisher of the Seal Beach Ammunition and Net Depot, along with several members of the Marine Corps Reserve, who paraded toward the pier carrying flaming torches.

Following came members of our American Legion, VFW and members of the Marine band, color guard and troops.

The first float from the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program headed along Main Street.

Next came the Excelsior High School of Norwalk band, under the direction of R.B. Bowman; the Fred Nelles drill team from Whittier; and the Brown Military Academy band from San Diego.

As the band members proceeded along Main Street, they could not miss how our local merchants lighted their windows.

The chamber had urged each business to host an open house, with each window decorated with a holiday theme displaying Christmas merchandise.

Parading up Main Street then was Miss Merri Christmas of 1953, Joan Williams, a 17-year-old from Westminster.

In her court were several girls from Huntington High, including Darla Austin, Ann Bottari, Melva Bonitati, Jane Clark, Carole Meeks, Joyce Robertson and Sharon Strother.

Gallienne had constructed two grandstands at Main and Walnut for parade judges and VIPs of the area.

Also in the grandstand was Capt. J.R. McKinney, who was the Marines’ reviewing officer.

But it was the float carrying Santa Claus and his reindeer that the kids were watching for as they hoped to catch some of the candy Kris Kringle would toss to them.

That year there were no horses and riders, but there was an elephant, camel, clowns and people wearing large grotesque heads that kept the children interested.

As the last of the parade filed pass the judging stand, the judges determined that year’s trophy winners.

Following the parade, several merchants served hot coffee and doughnuts, and some merchants gave out small souvenirs.

The Arcadia Senior High School band received the sweepstakes prize while the first prize for the best float went to the Roller Rink of Santa Ana that featured several girls dressed in white on skates.

Knott’s Berry Farm was awarded second place for its float. Huntington High’s band took second place in its category and Huntington Beach Elementary got first in its category.

Gallienne and “Miss Merri Christmas” presented trophies and awards that evening at the Pavalon.

As anyone who ever watched these great Christmas parades can attest, they were a big part of the holiday tradition here in our city. But if by chance your child missed Santa Claus that year, he or she could call Father Christmas at 4526 on the phone and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Since all of Huntington Beach carried the same prefix of Lexington 6, it was not necessary to dial those first three numbers.

In addition to the trophies for the Santa Claus parade, there were other awards that year.

The Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce awarded trophies for the best Christmas displays.

Eber Flaws had the best indoor Christmas tree visible to the street that year at his home at 1012 12th St., and the best outdoor Christmas tree went to Roy Smith at Main and Palm.

The prize for Best Merchant’s Window went to Oscar Myhre’s Office Supplies at 116 Main St.

Best Christmas Shrine went to Dr. Lawrence Whittaker, 303 3rd St., and Violette Chamberlain won the Best Religious Shrine that year for her shrine at 502 9th St.

It didn’t matter if Hollywood or Huntington Park had larger parades, you couldn’t find a better, more hometown holiday parade than the ones held right here in Huntington Beach.