Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland

It was a flurry of Santas, snowmen and other Christmas memorabilia amidst the glare of thousands of Christmas lights at the Portales Senior Citizen Center's Winter Wonderland Thursday.

Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune

Jeanne Barnes of Portales enjoys her second Winter Wonderland at the Portales Senior Citizen Center. Barnes says she's partial to teddy bears which drew her to this Christmas tree decorated with teddy bears, reindeer and snowmen.

The scenery had so much magic and whim that it could turn the coldest of Scrooges into a warm Christmas-loving child.

Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune

It took about 10,000 Christmas lights to decorate the Portales Senior Citizen Center's Winter Wonderland.

Volunteers used the Portales Senior Citizen Center to set up a Christmas wonderland for all of Portales, capping off the week with a visit from Santa tonight.

If you haven't seen Portales' little North Pole, here is a picture by the numbers:

• 10,000: Christmas lights used to decorate the center.
• 49: Christmas trees in and outside of the center.
• 31: Reindeer including stuffed animals and ornaments.
• 2: The amount of times the lights on Santa's stage went out, which led to a power surge.

Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune

Organizers of the Portales Senior Citizen Center's Winter Wonderland decorated a table to honor the Portales Police and Fire departments.

Sondra Myers was one of the main organizers of this year's decorations. Myers, one of the center's cooks and volunteers, was asked three questions:

What's your favorite Christmas song?

"The Twelve Days of Christmas."

What's your favorite Christmas food?

Fruit cake.

What's your favorite decoration in the winter wonderland?

The table decorated with the angels all over it.