Donors help bring the first new Christmas pole decorations in 50 years to Hanover

If you've driven downtown in Hanover, you may have noticed something: the "Christmas shrimp" are gone, replaced this year by brand new decorations.

Wait, what exactly is a "Christmas Shrimp," anyway? More on that later.

Thanks to sizable donations from the community, Christmas in Hanover has been able to replace the holiday pole decorations for the first time in over 50 years, at no cost to the borough.

"We, as a committee, have been wanting to replace the decorations for a number of years now," said Christopher Arter, a Christmas in Hanover committee member and Christmas super fan who also runs Christopher Cringle's at the Hanover market. "It just wasn't at the forefront of our fundraising efforts."

With the committee successfully completing other goals, such as replacing the famous Santa cabin and other small projects, their eyes turned to replacing the Christmas decorations that deck the poles of downtown Hanover.

Christmas in Hanover committee member Justine Trucksess, who also runs Main Street Hanover, attributes those other projects in growing the support for new decorations.

"I think it made people more willing to give for our next large project," she said. "I think a lot of people saw it worth investing into," Arter added.

With Christmas in Hanover being a committee presented by Main Street Hanover, the organization was able to use Main Street Hanover's wealth of knowledge on the grant writing process to reach out to local foundations, Trucksess said.

The committee reached out to the Powdermill Foundation in York, and the Warehime Foundation in Hanover about support for the capital campaign for pole decoration projects, she said.

"They were incredibly excited to support this," said Trucksess.

Thanks to significant support from the Powdermill Foundation and the Warehime Foundation, the committee's quest to replace the aging decorations was able to come to fruition.

Along with that strong support, the committee also received numerous donations from the community, which ensured that all of the decorations could be replaced at once instead of piecemeal. That included a large donation by the Hanover Lions Club, which donated in memory of late member Carl Waldmann, also a Christmas in Hanover committee member.

"It really was a large group effort," said Trucksess.

Arter and Trucksess hope the new decorations can continue to inspire and grow the community's local holiday traditions.

"It's all building on our age old traditions and creating this sense of Christmas magic in town," said Arter, who noted that the Santa Cabin is likely one of Hanover's oldest continuing traditions.

"That never happens"

When the committee started to look into redoing the decorations, they first weighed refurbishing the existing ones.

With the existing decorations having been over 50 years old, the committee felt that new decorations would hold up better, be more energy efficient, and would bring a brighter, fresh feel to the community, said Arter.

The group decided to keep the number of decorations the same downtown, to avoid dealing with adding any right-of-way issues, said Arter, with many poles having different ownerships that had already approved existing locations.

When time came to decide on the new design and took a vote of their favorites, Trucksess thought the committee would have a variety of opinions.

Incredibly, Trucksess says, without much discussion the whole committee was immediately unanimous on their favorite choice: the candle and poinsettia.

"I think that was so special," said Trucksess, "that never happens."

Trucksess said that after reading about the symbolism of the candle and poinsettia, she was brought to tears.

"The symbolism behind candles and poinsettias really spans across different cultures, different religious practices, and different holiday celebrations," said Trucksess.

"Poinsettias are celebrated in a multitude of different cultures," she added, noting their welcoming symbolism of goodwill and community spirit.

Along with the decorations downtown, the committee was also able to replace the decorations on Eisenhower Drive.

With the poles on Eisenhower having more room, the committee elected to choose a second, larger twin poinsettia design for the poles.

"I wanted to see something more substantial out there," Arter said of the larger design, which is 12 feet tall.

Arter notes that when the original decorations were bought, Eisenhower drive didn't exist.

"When they laid out Eisenhower, they decided, well, we have these extras, so we're gonna use them down there," he said of the decision decades ago to put up the decor on Eisenhower.

Trucksess added that, while many think of Christmas in Hanover just occurring downtown, the committee wants to make sure all of Hanover feels the holiday spirit, including the borough's main shopping district on Eisenhower.

Andrea's legacy

The project coming to fruition was a bittersweet moment for the Christmas in Hanover committee, with the project having been first spearheaded by longtime Hanover volunteer Andrea Goodson. Goodson suddenly passed away in April of this year at the age of 59.

More: 'Her heart was so big': Hanover community mourning loss of tireless volunteer

"This was her final gift that she gave to the community," said Trucksess. "We all feel a big sense of loss this season, being the first one without her."

"I like to think of these decorations as part of her legacy," she said, "it's something very tangible that we can all look at all holiday season that she was so passionate about making it a success."

As Arter began to speak, he laughed, "She probably might not like us talking about her."

"Yeah, definitely," Trucksess replied with a smile. "She's shaking her head at us, but that's OK."

"She was so much of a behind-the-scenes person, but there were so many things that just appeared that were 100% her doing," said Arter, noting Goodson's reluctance to take credit for her hard work.

"Many people didn't realize all that she did," he said, "is continuing to do, and is inspiring of people."

Since her passing, people have reached out to the committee asking how they can help and get involved because of Goodson. "I think that is a legacy she would be very, very proud of for sure," said Arter.

The project first began under Goodson's lead, Arter said.

"Andrea was a huge push for it," said Arter, noting she worked tirelessly to talk to people in the community and make connections to make the Christmas decorations happen.

Trucksess hopes that as people enjoy this holiday season downtown, they think of Goodson and feel her presence in the community.

"She was a huge part of this effort," said Trucksess. "This is kind of the gift that she has given us that we know will live on for 50 plus years."

An ode to the Christmas shrimp

At this point, you're probably still itching to know what a "Christmas shrimp" is.

The nickname began several years ago, when Arter had friends inquire about the borough's green Christmas decorations.

"Well, what are they?" they asked Arter. "I know the stars, but what's that bracket?" he remembered being asked.

When Arter told his friends that the bracket was simply a green festive tinsel bracket to hold the stars, they told him they had already had a name for the decorations.

"We call them the shrimp," they told him.

"Once you see it, you can't unsee it," said Arter, noting the way the green brackets look like a shrimp tail.

The nickname stuck, and the Christmas in Hanover committee along with borough public works employees began referring to the old decorations as the "Christmas shrimp."

"It's just another Hanover quirk," said Arter.

Despite his excitement for the new decorations, seeing the "shrimp" go is bittersweet for Arter.

Thanks to Goodson, though, the "shrimp" won't be forgotten, Arter explains.

Before her passing, Goodson had reached out to the National Christmas center in Elizabethtown, to secure a place to display one of those "shrimp."

Arter, Christmas in Hanover committee member Don Hamme and Goodson's husband, Brian, took some of the "shrimp" out to the museum and were given a tour. The group was shown where the "shrimp" will spend their retirement, in a main street exhibit at the museum.

Hamme, who is also a member of the Hanover Historical Society, also secured one or two of the "shrimp" for Hanover's own local exhibitions at the historical society, Arter said.

"There's ways we're trying to keep the idea of the Christmas shrimp alive," said Arter.

The borough still owns the "shrimp," said Trucksess, who hopes they may be able to be sold at auction to a smaller community looking for decorations for the holidays. The decorations, despite their over 50 years of age, are still in great shape, said Arter, who notes they have been refurbished over the decades.

"I always want to see main street communities be successful around the holidays," said Trucksess, noting many communities might not have the fundraising available to purchase new decorations.

Anyone interested in helping the committee ring in the holidays can find more information at their facebook page, Christmas in Hanover, PA. Additional volunteer opportunities are available at www.mainstreethanover.org, where people can additionally donate towards the Christmas efforts.

Harrison Jones is the Hanover reporter for The Evening Sun. Contact him at hjones@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: Donors bring new Christmas pole decorations to Hanover, Pa.