Christmas at the Old Cannery
Photos and Writing by Lauren Dale
Located in Sumner, Washington, The Old Cannery is a furniture warehouse known for its' quality home furnishings, miniature train displays, and delicious fudge. However, every year after Thanksgiving, a portion of the warehouse is transformed into a winter wonderland. This popular holiday event is entirely free to the public. At 9 a.m. when the store opens, hundreds of cheerful families and children will line up to get their photo taken with Santa. For seventeen years, the same Santa has made an appearance at the Old Cannery for this event.
I personally spoke with families that all share the same tradition of coming to the Old Cannery every year for this holiday event. Thye all told me how much magic and joy this event brings to their family each year. They have all created traditions of getting their Santa photos taken here. Be sure to stop by to kick off Christmas with the Old Cannery this year!
This is the entrance to the warehouse that stretches almost a mile long. The staff at the Old Cannery wanted the entire store to embody christmas spirit.
This christmas tree is one of many in the warehouse that have a train track wrapping around the entire tree. Because the Old Cannery is known for their train sets, this is a very personalized touch for their winter wonderland decorations.
The theme this year at the Old Cannery was Frozen. Employees told me they were most excited to decorate with Frozen becuase of the new movie that was released. They know how much kids love the Frozen movies and they wanted the event to be even more magical for them.
This is the entrance to Santa's chair where photos are taken. For seventeen years, the same Santa has sat in the same chair for this event. He has been so dedicated to creating magic for kids and their families at Christmas time. The Old Cannery Staff spoke so highly of the time he has spent there.
These are the decorations that string across the line for Santa photos. The line of was full of restless kids and tired parents. However, you could see how excited they were to be back at the Old Cannery to continue the tradition. People wait in this line for hours just to see Santa here. The amount of people that attend just proves how large of an impact this event has on the community.
Because the event is free, the Old Cannery seeks to create an even larger community impact by collecting donations for the Sumner food bank.
At the beginning of every year, the staff at the Old Cannery begin planning the holiday event. They pay such extreme attention to detail so that everything is displayed perfectly. Guests always admire the detail in the decorations.
The staff that work the event dress as elves to keep the Christmas magic alive. They are one of the most meaningful components to the event. Their interactions with guests help create memories for families.
This is Jackie Hills, the event coordinator. I had the opportunity to interview her and she was so passionate about this event. Every year she said she gets goodebumps watching the kids light up when Santa enters the room.
This is an old sign at the Old Cannery that they have on a train play station for kids. The Old Cannery likes to keep original pieces of work at their warehouse.