Traditions have special meaning to many families. Some hold family reunions at the same place each year, grandmothers and mothers pass down jewelry to their daughters from generation to generation and grandfathers and fathers indoctrinate their sons into the fraternity of the fisherman. In Compton, Walter Jones and his brood have such a tradition, one that involves snow and jolly old men and invokes the images of hot chocolate, roaring fires and memories of Christmas past.

For over 50 years, the house at 917 Caswell Avenue has been the home where neighbors, friends and onlookers came to admire the holiday decorations that adorned the Jones residence. Crafted with originality and built with his own hands, Jones created a festive atmosphere for his street, his neighbors and children, and later his grandchildren.

“Christmas was always a special time for my family,” Michele Greer, Jones’ maternal granddaughter recounted last week. “When we were kids, my grandfather created the theme of Santa’s Toyland for us, and that is one of my (fondest) memories growing up.”

Lifelike figurines, skillfully crafted miniature homes sit on a bed of snow in front of the house, which is brightly lit with cheerful ornaments and holiday decorations. The homes and figurines were built by Walter Jones, his granddaughter said. “He did them all himself,” she said. “A lot of love went into building them.”

“They hadn’t done anything this big in a long time,” neighbor Beverly Simon mentioned to a reporter while taking out her garbage last week. “They used to do a big scene out front like they have now, but they stopped for a while.”

“It’s nice that they started again,” she added.

The family, which has lived in Compton since the early 1950s, has received numerous awards for best decorated home from the municipal government, the last one coming in the late 1990s, according to Greer, a customer service agent. “Around that time, the city stopped giving out awards,” she said.

“The rules have been changed over the years as far as how the homes would be judged,” Councilwoman Yvonne Arceneaux, who represents the Third District where Greer lives told the Bulletin. She hopes that the city reactivates the home decorating program because she feels that it creates a spirit of community within the individual neighborhoods. “The amount of time and care that the people who live on Caswell and on other streets (put in) is evident,” Arceneaux said.

Greer’s family was not the only one that seemed infused with the Christmas spirit. All along the street there were different variations of home adornments; across the street and two houses down there was a larger-than-life snowman, while farther down a team of reindeer led Santa on his magical journey of Christmas Eve toy delivery. And on Greer’s side of the street many homes exhibited colorful lights and adornments.

Up and down Alondra Boulevard it was quite clear that the holiday spirit had become infectious for many of the homeowners in the Third District. Reindeer, Santas and other Christmas ornaments were on display, giving the area a distinct holiday feel.

“It’s amazing to see how the homeowners get so involved with the decorations and how each home has its own personality,” Arceneaux marveled.

Jones, who celebrated his 88th birthday last year, lost interest in his colorful display after his wife Mary passed away in 1997, and the tradition took a hiatus until this year. Since no one else stepped up to bring back the festive decorations, Greer decided that she would assume the mantle of keeper of the family legacy. But first she had to make sure that she respected the integrity of the winter fantasy, like any ritual deserves. “I had to watch a lot of videotape to make sure that I got it right,” she admitted.

Greer says that the lawn setup remains basically the same from year to year, with a few changes added periodically. “This year I added more candy canes and more snow,” she reported. Greer, who did all of the setup herself, was reminded of the way she, her two sisters and her cousins felt after she saw the decorations on the lawn for the first time in many years. “It brought back memories of seeing my grandmother passing out candy canes to children on the block,” she remembered.

For many of her neighbors and friends, Christmas on Caswell resurrects a more carefree, uninhibited time. “For many people on my block, this is the one part of our childhood that we can relive again,” Greer believes.

Like Arceneaux, Jones’ granddaughter hopes that the city will begin the best decorated home program again. “That would be neat,” she said.

The holiday scene will be removed this week, but Greer would like to continue with the family tradition of displaying a winter wonderland on Caswell Avenue in 2006. One thing that she won’t need to worry about is having the chore of hauling everything back inside; she broke her leg during the holidays, which didn’t dampen her Christmas spirit or her sense of humor. “I’ll get my boyfriend to do it,” she suggested, with the slightest hint of a laugh in her voice.

Maybe that will become a tradition, too.

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