Forrest General’s Frosty and Santa Popping in for Another Christmas Season

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – (December 3, 2024) It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… Everywhere you go…  

As the holiday season approaches, Forrest General Hospital continues its tradition of parading Frosty and Santa out to the hospital’s front portico on the Monday following Thanksgiving, where they will spend the next month or so spreading cheer to hospital visitors, patients, employees, and those just passing by.

It’s for many of those “just passing by” that the two have become a favorite holiday tradition for Hattiesburg and many area residents, who recall driving past the hospital during their younger years with their parents or grandparents to catch a glimpse of the two. Now, those children are driving by with their own children and grandchildren. It remains a tradition and hopefully, a never-ending circle for many Pine Belt families.

“We hear so many stories about people driving by to see our characters, and we are honored our traditions have become a part of so many Pine Belt families’ holiday traditions,” said Millie Swan, Forrest Health vice president/CCO.

With Thanksgiving being as late as it could possibly be, the holiday duo were brought out much later from their off-season hangout where they have been fluffed and straightened by FGH Engineering employees as they readied for their 2024 debut. After being gently hoisted to the roof of the hospital’s front portico, they are positioned, and securely cabled to the roof to enjoy their time and weather any passing storms for the next month or so, making things merry and bright for those who pass along the US 49 corridor day-in and day-out. For some families, it’s not Christmas until they drive past the hospital to see the two who glisten by day and shine by night.

It was during Lowery Woodall’s tenure as executive director of the hospital from 1962 until his retirement in 1996, that the two Christmas icons took their rightful place on the front portico roof in 1980. Woodall’s daughter, Linda Carol Woodall, a Petal resident, said the idea for Santa and Frosty came from Forrest General employees at that time. "Daddy said he would have preferred a nativity scene, but he went with the majority vote of the employees," Linda remembers. "Hilda East, an interior decorator who did a lot of the hospital’s commercial interior design during the many expansions, purchased Santa and Frosty. Daddy and Mama always took us to see them after they were placed on the hospital for display."

Woodall’s youngest daughter, Michelle Umberger, of Kingsport, Tenn., also has fond memories of Frosty and Santa.

“I do remember going to see them being put up every year,” Michelle said. She also remembers a time when Santa delivered gifts to children in the hospital. “As a candy striper, I remember the joy it brought to patients and their families,” she said. “Daddy was all about family and had a heart’s desire to make people feel safe, appreciated, and welcomed. Frosty and Santa were a way for Daddy to give joy to our community he loved so dearly. He was so proud of Forrest General Hospital and of Hattiesburg. He believed ‘to whom much is given, much is expected,’ and he gave with such a grateful heart. He knew the strength of the hospital and its success were equated to how the employees felt about working there.”

Scott Wilson, whose dad, Fred Wilson, served as director of the FGH lab for 30-plus years, has his own special memories of Forrest General’s Christmas décor. While his dad was a good friend of Lowery Woodall, Scott has remained good friends with Michelle, both graduating together.

“Because my dad was one of the department heads there, I spent a lot of time at the hospital as a kid,” he said. “When Frosty and Santa went up that was one of the official starts to Christmas and meant it was time to start thinking about the holiday.”

Wilson, who lives in Morganton, NC, said during 1986, his sophomore year in college, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, and spent a lot of time on the fourth floor, which at the time was for cancer patients. “It brought a new meaning to the holiday, because a hospital room is no place to spend Christmas,” he said. “They (Frosty and Santa) felt like my personal Christmas decorations and brought me so much joy. I was excited to learn they had faces on both sides so both the public could see them and those who were stuck in the hospital at Christmas time could see their faces. It gave me something great to look at that none of my friends had.”

Wilson said in a weird twist of fate, many years later his father, diagnosed with brain cancer, was a hospital patient. “He was there a month or more, and I spent a lot of time with him,” Scott said. “You could see those decorations from his room, as well. Dad was pretty involved in a lot of aspects of hospital life, and he always seemed to know when the Maintenance Department was going to pull Frosty and Santa out of storage each year.”

This beloved characters have seen a lot of Christmas seasons come and go, and oh, the stories they could tell from the past 44 years. The duo have only had to be replaced once after the originals were destroyed by heavy winds during a winter thunderstorm. “We had lots and lots of calls that year inquiring where the Christmas friends were,” said Swan, of the local celebrities who have been featured on both Lucky Rabbit and Forrest General T-shirts. Replacements were quickly purchased from Evangeline Specialties in Lafayette, La., allowing the jolly old elf and his frosty friend to greet passersby again.

Prior to the 2023 Christmas season, the two were looking a little rough around the edges, as most things do as they age. Andrew Khandjian, FGH systems director for Environmental Services, and his staff, who are guardians of the duo, moved heaven and earth, and searched high and low, when it came down to possibly needing to replace the two. They researched some of the biggest businesses that specialize in outdoor Christmas displays only to find they were no longer in business, which made the search more difficult. It’s not an easy task to locate a 12-foot Santa and Frosty which have the stamina to withstand cold temperatures, rain, possibly frozen precipitation, and strong winds around the clock. The search for Frosty and Santa 2.0 left them empty handed.

”Many people think the two are inflatables that can be purchased at a big box store,” Khandjian said. “That’s not the case. They aren’t inflatables, but are much larger and heavier, and you can’t just purchase them anywhere. In fact, you can’t purchase them at all, at least not anywhere we have found.”

But, they did the next best thing. They reinvented and reinvigorated what they already had. “They were sandblasted, their iron body’s re-welded, new cable tie downs added, decked out in color-coded material resembling garland, given new lights, and had their face coverings professionally printed,” he said. “We truly care about these decorations and invest time in them because of what a staple they are to our community.”

“We hope Santa and Frosty’s many friends will appreciate the work these holiday friends undergo during the off season,” said Swan. “We appreciate the dedication and care of Forrest General’s Environmental Services and Engineering teams, who help Frosty and Santa enjoy some rejuvenation during the off season. We hope Pine Belt residents will continue to enjoy the new glow these two sport from year to year. Driving by to see these two may be the best medicine for community residents. We hope new Pine Belt residents will add these to their list of ‘must-sees’ for the holiday.”

To keep up with Frosty and Santa and other seasonal activities, visit Forrest General Hospital’s Facebook page.

ABOUT FORREST HEALTH

Forrest Health is a system of healthcare organizations formed to increase access to quality health care in south Mississippi. Forrest General Hospital is its flagship hospital. In addition to Forrest General, Forrest Health hospitals include: Highland Community Hospital, Picayune; Jefferson Davis Community Hospital & Extended Care Facility, Prentiss; Marion General Hospital, Columbia; Pearl River County Hospital & Nursing Home, Poplarville; Perry County General Hospital, Richton; and Walthall General Hospital, Tylertown. Forrest Health is also home to The Orthopedic Institute and Institute of Neuroscience, both in Hattiesburg, as well as a variety of healthcare clinics throughout its 19-county coverage area.