He’s a Pass Christian Beach icon during Christmastime. Here’s the story behind ‘Sandyman’
In the absence of snow, Pass Christians make do with what’s available to create an annual holiday attraction on the beach -- a snowman made of sand.
Each year over the Thanksgiving break, Pass Christian residents find that a large snowman made of sand appears on the beach near the harbor. This fun holiday attraction began in 2015 when Mary Bourdin and two neighbors from West 2nd Street went to the beach to build a unique coastal snowman.
“I grew up in Minnesota and we always had snowmen,” Bourdin recalled. “The first year we did it, we shoveled everything by hand and took water from the beach with buckets and made a little guy about waist-high.”
Over the years, the ladies enlisted the help of Harrison County Sand Beach, who creates a larger one every Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The Pass Christian Fire Department also contributes by spraying the structure as it’s built to keep it standing throughout the holiday season.
The Friday after, the ladies’ family members gather to decorate the holiday attraction they have affectionately named “Sandyman.” Except for his hat and mittens, Sandyman is made of natural items, including sand, crab shell buttons, pinecone eyes, and an oyster shell smile.
“Last year, some people that were vacationing with their grandkids from Georgia came over and they were so excited; the little girls helped put decorations on him,” Bourdin said. “Everyone just enjoys him.”
Pass Christian’s Sandyman has since become an iconic holiday landmark, waving to motorists along Highway 90 and participants of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon that occurs the second week of December.
When asked about Sandyman’s significance for the Pass Christian community, Bourdin expressed, “I think they enjoy it.” She added, “He’s part of our Gulf Coast community; it’s like one coast, it sort of unites everything.”
Nearby, at Pass Christian Harbor, the community also erects a large Christmas tree made of items commonly found in boat harbors such as buoys and crab traps.
With Christmas in the Pass scheduled for the evening of December 1, Sandyman provides the Pass Christian community with a small semblance of a traditional white Christmas, without the snow. Sandyman currently stands on Pass Beach opposite of W 2nd St. next to Pass Christian Harbor.
