Castle Family Health Center staff make “winter wonderland’ a reality

Christopher Jimenez’s eyes lit up as he watched the lights on the Christmas trees blink in the north wing hallway at Castle Family Health Center in Atwater. When the 4-year-old boy noticed the inflated Santa at the end of the hallway, he ran to see him.

Christmas music echoes in the hallways while nutcrackers, stockings and wreaths aligned the walls, where many employees worked to turn the section in front of billing offices of the center into a “Winter Wonderland” for patients.

“It starts to warm up that feeling,” said Ed Lujano, CEO of the health center. “We just try to bring the spark of Christmas alive for those who might not have it.”

Lujano said most children are “stunned,” “shocked,” with “eyes glazing” when they see the display for the first time.

Every year the decorations become more elaborate, said Manny Altamirano, one of the staff members who heads the decorating effort. The display is beginning to expand to more hallways, he said, and is made possible by staff members who bring in decorations and take time to create a “wonderland.”

“Patients are able to forget the pain,” Altamirano said.

For such a small town like Atwater, Lujano said, this Christmas display might be the largest one some people see during the holidays. Families come through every day to take pictures and children enjoy seeing the colors and lights, he said.

“We know the patients we serve and most don’t get this experience,” Lujano said. “This will bring back that spirit. Not even the mall has decorations like these.”

Every year a tree on display is donated to a family, Mirna Villarreal said, the staff member who handles the Christmas tree donation. They give the tree to a family who doesn’t have a tree and has a need for one.

They will be picking the family and giving the Christmas tree away sometime before Christmas, Villarreal said. Last year the family who received the tree was “very happy and emotional,” she said.

“It’s not only to bring their spirit up,” Villarreal said. “It gives them some kind of happiness.”

This story was originally published December 11, 2016 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Castle Family Health Center staff make “winter wonderland’ a reality."