'The most wonderful time of year'
Some Whitefish High School students moved by the spirit of Christmas made the Willowbrook neighborhood merry and bright this holiday season.
Over winter break, junior Sam Benkelman rounded up five friends — Saige Perchy, Tommy Sausen, Rmi Strauser, Bergen Carloss and Kess Nelson — to carol in his Whitefish neighborhood.
After the impromptu choir — most are members of Voce, the high school’s elite choir — had dinner at his home, they ventured out on a cold winter’s night for some Christmas caroling, an activity Benkelman also organized in past years.
“We have an arsenal of eight or nine songs we usually sing,” Benkelman said. “I just think it’s a fun way to spend the holidays with friends.”
The family at the first house they stopped at was Jewish. Not to be ruffled, the carolers wowed them with their spontaneous rendition of “The Dreidel Song.”
Along their route the students also harmonized to “The First Noel” and a particularly beautiful arrangement of “The Carol of the Bells.” At those homes with small children, they always sing “Jingle Bells” and “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” to which one especially enthusiastic 5-year-old girl jumped up and down through the entire song.
They were given fudge at two homes and Benkelman’s neighbor JeanAnne Swope invited them all in for an encore performance.
“Their joy was apparent and they made our evening,” Swope said in her email to the Inter Lake expressing her thanks. “We were touched by their generous spirit.”
Several other post-holiday hurrahs have also come our way:
q A trio of women wrote to let the folks in Lakeside who sponsor the Frosty decorations know how much they appreciate them.
“We enjoy seeing the snow people each year and wonder who could be so clever to make them look so cute and natural,” wrote Ruth Patterson of Seattle, along with Joyce Shima and Barb Patterson of Polson.
“Thank you for sharing them with us as we drive through your town.”
q Chris Schustrom with the Whitefish Shines decorating team sent a huge thank you to all the community volunteers, local businesses and Flathead Electric linemen for their generous support and help hanging the winter decorations around town before the holidays.
Donations to the project in any amount are appreciated and may be mailed to Whitefish Shines, P.O. Box 695, Whitefish, MT 59937.
q Montana Veterans Home volunteer Sue Haverfield was grateful for the tremendous response to the veterans’ Wish Tree at the Kalispell Center Mall.
“Super thanks go to the people who contribute to this project each year! Each resident received gifts and many of the ‘extra’ supply items were also brought in,” she wrote. “The men and women at the home, the staff and I appreciate the public support.”
Community editor Carol Marino may be reached at 758-4440 or by email at community@dailyinterlake.com.