< Previous10 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2025 I ’d like to start this note with a sincere apology to the tourists who stood aghast on the seawall one late Oc- tober afternoon as Coast Monthly photographer Stuart Villanueva threw his body in the air and took down a sand snowman talented sculptor Emerson Schreiner had worked all day to create. Those tourists had just admired Schreiner’s work and snapped some photos of the masterpiece. And that was a problem. We couldn’t have our sand snow- man circulating on social media weeks before we debuted our cover. And if we left it on the beach, that’s exactly what would have happened. Sandman had to go. If it’s any consolation for the tourists, it was painful for us, too. Our sand snowman was a work of art. And while nothing sculpted in sand can last forever, we immortalized it on this cover. We are sincerely grateful to Schreiner, who spent a day sculpting and days before that drawing and planning. When we approached Schreiner about creating our cover “snowman,” we had a tropical vibe in mind; a sand snow- man with shades, Hawaiian shirt and maybe a beach hat. But a purist, Schreiner had his own vision. We’re glad he did. Schreiner didn’t know it — we didn’t either — but he was riffing on an unplanned theme of this issue — Christmas past. There was something beautifully nostalgic and uplifting in our stories — almost all tied to memories and traditions. In one feature, a man uses decorations to pay tribute to his late mother’s love of Christmas. In another, an islander and his family carry on the awe-inspiring Christmas Village his grandmother began decades ago. What’s more, he’s making the village available for all to see in his downtown Galveston office. And in the giving spirit of the season, an island baker who declares “Christmas cookies should be for everyone,” shares a sweet recipe. We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanuk- kah, Kwanzaa and all you celebrate. We’ll see you next year. LAURA ELDER Coast Monthly editor FROM THE EDITOR A NOD TO CHRISTMAS PAST45 146 8 Friendswood League City Clear Lake THEY PERSONALIZE MY PRIMARY CARE Your Houston Methodist primary care physician takes the time to get to know you and your unique goals. That’s how we personalize your health care at one of more than 40 clinics throughout the Greater Houston area. And with same-day appointments, you can get the care you need, when you need it. That’s the difference between practicing medicine and leading it. For you. houstonmethodist.org/pcg 713.441.7265 Same-day appointments available12 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2025 SHORELINES WE ASKED ON FACEBOOK: What coastal kind of gift do you most want this year for Christmas? Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea ... and joy to you and me! Patricia Forbes Tewksbury Santa, bring us good weather for the Galveston Christmas parade, but then bring us snow on the beach for Christmas Day! Jacquelynn Imiolo Cardin Maybe one more white Christmas for Galveston. Mary Ann Salch Murphy Just the gift of family and friends spending the holiday with me and my mom. Kristen Carlson More love, kindness, happiness, health and sunshine as we celebrate our Savior. Sandy Maness I would love to have my kids and grandbabies here in Galveston with us to experience a coastal family Christmas. Julie Mills Mild winter! No freezes or snow! Donita Brannon World peace. Denise Arango A cruise! Bobbey White A cruise. Denise Sowell Shead Does getting to be on a cruise during Christmas count? Jeanette Connolly I would like a vacation on the island at an Airbnb. Also to continue to stay in remission and keep my peace, love and humbleness. Sonora Blake To continue to experience the childlike wonder of the shores of the island and its magical waves. Susan Wilson Walker Coastal vibes and peace on earth and goodwill to everyone. Patricia Brannan I’d love a coastal-inspired gift like a framed photo of the beach or a seashell wind chime, something that brings a little piece of the coast home for the holidays. Vivian Hernández For the end of unnecessary food insecurities due to government power struggles. Nita Perry-Garrison I would ask for a peaceful atmosphere to enjoy Christmas with loved ones and friends! Luis Huerta A custom-painted surf board to display in my house by Nicole Miller — hint, hint, Santa. Jackie Austin Another year without storms in the Gulf. Tiffany Hanson Heallen A staycation on the island! Jerry Jones reading my December issue of Coast Monthly magazine! Stacey Gottlob being a bOI, and having all the wonderful memories of the places, sounds and smells of the beautiful island I was raised on stay with me for the rest of my life! Cathy Koleng Tanner More love and less hate! United people and not all this division. That’s all I want for Christmas! Ginny McDonald Good health and happiness to all. Joellyn Moynahan I would like to take my dogs on a beach walk Christmas morning, so the gift of a warm enough sunny day would be the best gift. Laura Pennino To spend more time with our Galveston friends and family. Tia McCurdy For all of our family to be safe, healthy, happy and come and spend time on our island paradise. Nita Andrews Reid For the holidays, I want that blue- green Gulf to continue. I love sitting on the beach as the sun rises and the water changes to that beautiful color as the sun gets higher. Phil Newton Peace in the world. Helen Pausewang Galveston County in 2004 received the first snow ever on Christmas Day. While some readers would like another white Christmas, others prefer warmer weather for the holidays. FIL e PHOTO: TH e DAILY N e WSBET JENNINGS 2022-2025 Real Trends America’s Best Real Estate Pros in Galveston & Texas 281.773.3477 | bjennings@greenwoodking.com Chase Jennings, Associate RSPS | chasejennings@greenwoodking.com Breathtaking Panoramic Views in Laffite’s Cove 13415 Jibstay Court SOLD SOLD PENDING “ Happy Holidays From My Family to Yours! ”14 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2025 A handmade ornament hangs on the Christmas tree in Patty File’s home in Dickinson. (Opposite) File transforms her home into a Christmas wonderland, filling every room from the living room to the laundry room and even the bath- rooms with decorations large and small. COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2025 15 HOMEPORT ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE Each year, a Dickinson family transforms home into a Christmas wonderland story by BARBARA CANETTI | photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS F or most of the year, Patty File’s home is decorat- ed with a minimalist design — simple objects on shelves, uncluttered spaces and a few carefully placed items in cabinets. But come holiday time, especially Christmas, the File home transforms into a winter wonder- land with about 1,000 tchotchkes and knickknacks covering nearly every corner of the Dickinson house. Patty and her husband, Mike, start the process the day after Thanksgiving, clearing away Halloween and fall décor and beginning the arduous task of making their home re- semble Santa’s workshop. It takes about 114 hours to place each piece in its as- signed space, they said. Patty photographs each shelf, cabi- net, table, corner, bathtub — yes, bathrooms, too — creden- za and wall space to make sure every item goes back in the same spot year after year. Since moving to the upper Texas Coast in 1992, Patty has collected holiday items and displayed them all. The collec- tion has grown as aging friends pass along unused decora- tions and as she adds new finds of her own. “A lot of friends passed down to me their decorations because they don’t decorate any longer and wanted them to go to someone who would appreciate them,” she said. “They 16 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2025 HOMEPORT are all good quality stuff, too.” Much of her collection comes from handmade pieces she and her moth- er-in-law, Pat File, created when they lived as neighbors in South Texas. Patty traces her fascination with over-the-top holiday décor back to her childhood in Chicago, where she marveled at the elaborate Christmas window displays at department stores such as Marshall Field’s. “I just loved all the colors and decorations,” she said. “It gives me a cozy feeling.” The main Christmas display is in the living room, where a lighted tree by the floor-to-ceiling windows is circled by a train. Shelves on either side of the fireplace are packed with snowy village scenes, mangers and garlands. The wet bar is stocked with holiday With the shelves and entryway mirror decorated for the holidays, the File family dog, Piper, keeps watch on the front door. (Opposite, from top) A display of lighted trees and decorations line the dining room; the coffee and wet bar is filled with decorations and holiday-themed glassware; Christmas-themed cookie jars and serving trays are displayed on the counters in the kitchen. COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2025 17 cups and wine glasses, with orna- ments hanging from every surface. In the kitchen, special serving piec- es and platters glow under candle- light. Hallways are lined with Christ- mas stockings and Yuletide messages. A bathtub is filled with poinsettias and greenery in red and silver vases. Even closets are decorated with tinsel and wreaths. Each piece is meaningful, Patty said. She likes to repurpose and pair items together, but the only theme is Christ- mas. Although she has a few child- hood decorations, most have been added since her now-grown children were born. A few hold extra special meaning, she said. In August 1980, when the Files were living in the Rio Grande Valley, Hurricane Allen threatened the coast. 18 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2025 Shelves in a guest room are covered in lights and Christmas decorations. COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2025 19 HOMEPORT Fearing flooding, the family buried in the yard a 15-piece nativity set she and her mother-in-law were working on, she said. The set survived in its sealed container and still is part of her display today, along with another all-white nativity set handmade by Pat File. By mid-January, the Christmas wonderland comes down. Patty carefully stores more than 1,000 items in 50 plastic crates, six buckets and a special bag for the tree and wreaths. “Everything has a special place and by summer, I can’t wait to unpack everything,” she said. “I love putting things together and making displays. There is a lot of sentimen- tality of years gone by and now my family expects all of this every year.” And then, it’s on to Valentine’s Day. (Above) Patty File displays a nativity scene she and her mother-in-law created together in 1980. It survived being buried, when Hurricane Allen threat- ened their Rio Grande Valley home. (Below) Stockings and yuletide messages line the hallway.Next >