As a legacy of Hurricane Charley, an artificial village has sprung up outside of Punta Gorda. This is Femaville, population 1000.
In the grassy field where eight-year-old Bobby Pruitt, left homeless by Charley, waited to find out if his family would have to evacuate their FEMA trailer to get clear of the path of Hurricane Ivan, there are now named roads of crushed shell.
These months later, Christmas has come to Femaville, and it's time to decorate:
You decorate your yard
And you string up your lights
This lady is out-Christmasing her neighbors
Mrs. Robertson has her little tree all decorated, and a wreath on the door too
James Williams has nailed a pine branch to the wall, calling it his Christmas Tree
A little girl arranges shells from the street on her decorated porch
The decorations are small, but they are numerous. Some come from unexpected sources: a man who had lost his home to Charley, but was now back on his feet, drove into the village with $1,200-worth of Christmas lights he had purchased for the people of Femaville.
I think the Christmas spirit and the human spirit have a whole lot in common. They both help us rise above.
Posted by floridacracker at December 19, 2004 03:11 PM