In this tight housing market, even Santa Claus has been forced to make some sacrifices.
The giant Santa statue that for 52 years waved at millions of motorists along the 101 Freeway from Santa Claus Lane near Carpinteria will soon be starting a new life wedged between a mobile home park and an auto dealership in Ventura County.
It's not exactly what Santa, who is being retired by his current owners, is used to, and some of St. Nick's new neighbors aren't too thrilled to have him as a permanent presence. But the location ensures that a new generation of families traveling down the coast will enjoy seeing the jolly, bearded old man.
"I had hoped that he would've been able to stay, but this is better than nothing," said Eduard Van Wingerden, 46, a longtime Carpinteria resident who vividly recalls riding his bike to Santa Claus Lane as a child. "I'm really happy to see him preserved."
For the past week, workers from a local crane company have been helping with the move. First, they lifted the 5-ton, 22-foot St. Nick up and over some neighborhood businesses from its temporary storage spot in a local driveway.
Then, in order to ensure that the statue would safely clear overpasses and power lines, they chopped 5 feet of plywood, painted to look like a red brick chimney, from its bottom.
But this week comes the hard part.
That's when Santa, a relic of a time when this Santa Barbara County neighborhood was a Christmas attraction, will bid Santa Claus Lane farewell.
Escorted by two California Highway Patrol officers and two safety vehicles, taking a meticulous route laid out by California Department of Transportation officials to avoid bridges and overpasses, Santa will make his way down the 101 Freeway and begin doing his famous wave from Ventura Boulevard near the Del Norte Boulevard exit, on the outskirts of Oxnard.
All last week, neighbors and motorists came to reminisce about childhood visits to shops and restaurants on Santa Claus Lane. They took pictures, made videotapes and promised to visit at the new address.
Laurie Kavara was driving down the freeway when she saw Santa sitting on a trailer. She took the Santa Claus Lane exit, grabbed her camera and started taking snapshots.
"He's been here forever, and I wish he weren't going," said the 53-year-old Carpinteria resident. "I'm afraid they're trying to turn this into the kind of beach community you see all over -- you know, the ones with the molded sea-gull statues. There was always a uniqueness to this place, but it's starting to change. I'm so glad I got to get one last picture."
