Something in the air
By Stacee Sledge
Whatcom Magazine, December 2007
Christmas takes
flight for aviation buffs
Sue Henderson and Bill Stoelt have taken the theme
Christmas tree to new heights.
Perched on their home’s open second-floor walkway,
visible from the front entry, is what the couple dubs
their “airplane” tree. Its mass of aviation-themed
ornaments reflects their love of flying — and their
home’s location alongside a small airstrip.
That
airstrip gets a good deal of use from Bill’s 1964
Beechcraft Bonanza, a gleaming red and cream beauty. The
airplane is what drew the couple to Lynden. Both grew up
in Seattle and lived in Mukilteo for eight years before
moving north.
The
couple has been together for almost 17 years and married
since 2000. “Neither one of us was ever going to get
married again,” Sue, 64, says with a laugh, “until,
apparently, we’d lived together for nine years.”
“We
always kept flying up here,” says Bill, 54. They would
stroll around downtown, marveling at its quaint charm,
or lunch at Homestead Farms Golf Resort after Bill took
in a game of golf.
Sue
retired from nursing in January 2003, while Bill retired
the following February from the Northshore School
District, where he worked as a purchaser. They were
ready to take flight to Lynden.
“We
had Jim Stewart build the house to the roof, and then we
contracted the rest,” says Sue. In January of 2004, they
moved in.
Now,
a flight to Friday Harbor for an impromptu lunch takes a
scant 15 minutes; Boeing Field is just 40 minutes away.
“We might say, ‘Let’s go to Bremerton or the Oregon
Coast,’” says Bill. “It takes maybe an hour and a half
to the Oregon Coast from here.”
But
further-flung destinations are where Sue finds most of
her airplane tree finery. “We go to the Reno Air Races a
lot and airplane conventions in Georgia, San Antonia and
Arizona,” says Sue. “And then I just pick up an airplane
for the Christmas tree.”
Crowning the artificial tree is Sue’s traditional Saint
Nick topper, long used on the larger family tree
downstairs. With a small airplane tucked into his sack,
the jolly old elf makes the perfect pinnacle for the
theme tree.
Downstairs, a whimsical Santa Claus-commandeered
airplane circles the dining room table, suspended on a
thin wire from the chandelier. It’s a charmer, but
that’s where the airplane theme ends, as a more
traditional Christmas spirit reigns in every festively
festooned downstairs room.
Included in the 2006 Bethany Christian Services annual
Christmas Homes Tour, the 3,400-square foot home — a mix
of Cape Cod, Craftsman and traditional architecture —
radiates holiday spirit in every room. Sue’s part-time
job at Grandiflora Home and Garden helped her hone her
skills at devising touches of elegance and whimsy
throughout.
The
kitchen displays a plethora of Christmas-themed décor: a
nestling of nutcrackers from Sue’s sister, antique
bobble-head ornaments that belonged to Sue’s
ex-husband’s mother, and cookie jars, candles, and salt
and pepper shakers from various friends.
Two
long, thin Christmas stockings, handmade by Sue’s
grandmother decades ago, hang along the kitchen-facing
side of a three-sided, glass-enclosed fireplace that
opens onto the kitchen, dining room and living room.
Sue’s uncle’s name was William, and she hangs his
stocking for Bill.
Wrapped gift boxes adorn the top of the fireplace,
enveloped in colorful papers and topped with elaborate
hand-tied bows.
In
preparing for the tour, Sue wanted holiday touches in
every room — but didn’t want to go overboard. “When it
came to having people come through the house, I had
spaces where I didn’t want to overdo. I thought I should
just use stuff I have.” And she did, with a creative eye
that stretched seemingly everyday items into holiday
haberdashery.
In
the dining room she grouped her late father’s mandolin
and violin, her grandfather’s accordion, Bill’s trumpet
and a neighbor’s harp around an open book illustrating a
music-filled holiday scene. A cut crystal bowl cradles
silver ornaments in the master bedroom, while red
tapered candles of varying heights are group atop a
hallway table.
A
friend and neighbor who made all the home’s pillows
created sleeves that are simply slipped on to give a
touch of red to pillows on an entryway bench.
Laden in ornaments — some made by Sue, some by friends,
and many purchased on vacations abroad — a 7½-foot tall
noble fir in the living room epitomizes a traditional
Christmas tree. Dolls, bears, toy trains, and children’s
books tucked in the branches harken back to the
childhood awe of Christmas morning.
“I
use yellow lights instead of white, because they look
like candlelight,” says Sue. “It’s a softer look.”
A
tabletop tree in Sue’s den glimmers with all the gold
ornaments sorted out of her collection. In a bath across
the hall, an even smaller tree drips with ice-like
crystal ornaments entwined with strings of Sue’s
mother’s pearls. Gold-papered packages rest under the
tree, garnished with sparkling brooches that also
belonged to Sue’s mother. A collection of wee Swarovski
crystal musical instruments are displayed on a chest
next to the tiny tree.
It’s
no surprise that someone who adores decorating for the
season has a deep love of the accompanying family
traditions and gatherings. Sue’s daughters Lisa and Lara
live in Western Washington with their families,
while her son Mike and his family call Austin, Texas
home.
“In
the past, I always had Christmas breakfast with cinnamon
rolls,” says Sue. “All the kids and grandkids would
come. We’d have presents piled high and I’d insist we
open them, all around, one at a time. That was our
Christmas for years, and I just loved it.”
But
the male contingent tired of the drawn-out opening
ceremony. “The fellas wanted to watch football,” says
Sue with a smile. “Bill would disappear and watch too,
and he’s not even a football fan.”
The
clan would then move onto another house for an even
bigger Christmas celebration. In recent years, a change
of tradition has taken place.
“My
Aunt Sheelah, who was a dear and wise friend, said
Christmas is more a woman’s thing, that it’s really the
women who like to do all this.” The family now has a
luncheon on the Saturday before Christmas for the kids
and all those who still want the full-on gift-unwrapping
extravaganza. The young ones open their gifts one at a
time, while the adults do a white elephant exchange.”
Now
Bill and Sue celebrate solo on Christmas morning, and
then travel to family members’ homes for the rest of the
holiday-related festivities.
Snuggled into the living room couch, looking up at her
traditional Christmas tree with its soft lights that
catch each colorful toy among its branches, Sue spies
her favorite ornament. It’s a small plaque that simply
reads: “Christmas brings out the child in all of us.”
“I
always hang that up front, because that’s what I think.”
She lets out a contented sigh as her eyes travel around
the comfortable room. “Life is good.”
Stacee Sledge is a
Bellingham
freelance writer.
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