Local resident brings the medicine of humor with PPE decorations
Santa Barbara resident Carlos Mexia decorated his Christmas tree with COVID-19-related decor, and he received inspiration for a COVID piñata from the graphic in the News-Press Voices section.
It’s beginning to look a lot like … COVID?
A Santa Barbara resident decided to switch up his Christmas tree this year to really reflect the events of 2020.
Rather than traditional ornaments, Carlos Mexia, who’s lived in the city for 40 years, decorated his tree with face masks, gloves, toilet paper rolls and cleaning supplies.
A coronavirus piñata, much like the molecule graphic he found in the Voices section of the News-Press (which inspired his COVID tree), is also featured in his Christmas decorations.
“I saw the newspaper … I went over to the Santa Cruz Market, where they make piñatas, and I said, ‘Hey, I need a coronavirus to put on top of my Christmas tree,’ ” Mr. Mexia told the News-Press.
The scowling coronavirus molecule, which is about the size of Mr. Mexia’s head, wears a Santa hat and sits on top of his tree, and other molecules hang around the house.
Unfortunately, none of them are wearing their masks.
Gloves and face masks dot the tree, and the bottles of Mr. Clean, Clorox, Tide and hand soap sit under the tree like presents, which may come in handy if another lockdown results in ransacked grocery store shelves.
While toilet paper may not be the most elegant of decorations, Mr. Mexia thoroughly enjoys the laughs it brings from his friends and family.
“Every year, I try to make a different Christmas tree,” he said. “It’s only for fun.”
Unfortunately, only he and his wife, Quirina, get to enjoy the trendy tree in person, as their children can’t return due to COVID-19.
“Right now, it’s only me and my wife,” Mr. Mexia said. “They (his kids) all live in different places … This Christmas, nobody’s coming.”
However, he sent photos of the COVID tree to his kin, and, “Everybody was laughing.”
Making light of the pandemic helps dim his and his wife’s fears, he said, and laughing is one way to get through it.
Mr. Mexia’s past lighthearted, creative Christmas trees have included little stuffed toys and vibrant lights.
This year, he even hung Santa’s underwear on his wall as well. Boxer briefs dangle from Santa’s clothesline, along with the rest of his undergarments.
Although the pandemic has separated many from their loved ones, Mr. Mexia proves that there are still ways to find the positive side and, if nothing else, just make loved ones laugh from afar.
email: gmccormick@newspress.com
