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Hello, Christmas!

DEVIN WEEKS | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 6 months AGO
by DEVIN WEEKS
Devin Weeks is a third-generation North Idaho resident. She holds an associate degree in journalism from North Idaho College and a bachelor's in communication arts from Lewis-Clark State College Coeur d'Alene. Devin embarked on her journalism career at the Coeur d'Alene Press in 2013. She worked weekends for several years, covering a wide variety of events and issues throughout Kootenai County. Devin now mainly covers K-12 education and the city of Post Falls. She enjoys delivering daily chuckles through the Ghastly Groaner and loves highlighting local people in the Fast Five segment that runs in CoeurVoice. Devin lives in Post Falls with her husband and their three eccentric and very needy cats. | October 22, 2020 1:08 AM

COEUR d’ALENE — Christmas is 64 days away, but the holiday magic is already beginning to glow at The Coeur d'Alene Resort.

Specialty designers, engineers and Resort staff members are now on site crafting specially tailored interior displays that will give Christmas a whole new look this year.

“At the end of last year, they decided to do all-new interior décor,” Amy VanSickle, director of marketing for The Resort, said Tuesday. "This is the first year for all of this."

Each area and restaurant will have its own enchanting theme and color scheme, with custom decorations hand-selected by the pros at Design by Jennifer, an Inland Northwest company owned by Whitworth University graduate Jennifer Grace.

Grace and her team went to a Christmas show and warehouse in Florida earlier this year to find just the right pieces. More than 10,000 pounds of decorations were delivered to The Resort, including two life-sized Santas, 12 nutcrackers, 13 wreaths, 20 elves, 70 woodland creatures, 100 presents, 120 snowflakes and more than 663 feet of garland.

“We’re just excited to bring something new and fun to the community because of the challenging year,” VanSickle said. “It’s festive. We're moving into Christmas, we want people to feel like we're moving into Christmas and I think it will be exciting for people who are local who are used to seeing our normal décor."

Grace said a hot trend in the design industry this year is scale, so guests will be delighted to see big displays sprinkled everywhere.

"Every area of The Resort will have new elements, and they’re fun, stunning pieces, like a 9-foot tall nutcracker that we’re going to have to crane up to Beverly’s," VanSickle said with a smile. "They're figuring out how to get it up there right now."

"You need large scale to make a statement, and you need mass to make a statement,” Grace said. "And that’s really what we went down to Florida with the mentality to do, is get some statement pieces. We want to get that mass and bring it in and be like, ‘Hello, Christmas!’"

VanSickle said also new this year will be the Holiday Marketplace, a free event that will take place in The Resort convention bays the weekend after Thanksgiving. She said vendors are still needed — those interested can visit www.cdaholiday.com for info and to apply.

"There will be Santa and cooking demonstrations and just a fun, walkthrough experience for guests" Nov. 27 through 29, she said.

And the annual lighting ceremony the day after Thanksgiving is still a go, she said, with COVID-19 safety measures in place.

“Lighting ceremony will still be going on,” VanSickle said. “There will be fireworks."

photo

DEVIN WEEKS/Press

Jennifer Grace, owner of Design by Jennifer Grace, inspects an ornament Tuesday as she and her team unpack shipments of special holiday décor that will fill The Coeur d'Alene Resort this Christmas season.

photo

DEVIN WEEKS/Press

Bigger is better with Santas to scale this Christmas season in The Coeur d'Alene Resort. More than 10,000 pounds of new decorations and more than 663 feet of garland are just a few festive features guests will enjoy this winter.

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