KEAUHOU — The Keauhou Post Office is all decked out with holiday cheer.
KEAUHOU — The Keauhou Post Office is all decked out with holiday cheer.
From ceiling to floor and nearly everywhere in between, the Keauhou fixture is brimming with tinsel, ornaments, beads, a Santa Claus from “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” board games, train cars, old newspapers and magazines, and other knick-knacks dating as far back as the 1950s. The items range from the everyday mass-produced glass orb to LP albums like “Christmas with the Chipmunks” and old black-and-white photos.
There’s even a sign for customers reminding them that despite the holiday stress and deadlines to “Please be nice (it’s Christmas) no Grinches.”
“It is just stunning. It’s just amazing,” said Nancy Simons, a Keauhou resident who was picking up her mail Tuesday afternoon. “This little post office is just amazing.”
The holiday getaway, dubbed a “Pop Culture Christmas,” is the creation of Dug Miller, a seven-year post office employee who took over the contract and became postmaster for the Keauhou Shopping Center facility July 1. Prior to working at the post office, Miller was a Disneyland Imagineer who focused on history exhibits.
“I worked at Disneyland for 20 years — so keeping people entertained in line is a big deal for me,” he said.
The exhibit is not the first or the last for the Keauhou Post Office. Before the Christmas exhibit, Miller had set up items from the 1940s, like an old typewriter; he next plans to feature tourism-related items.
A portion of the items for the holiday getup came from his own collection, including part of a nativity scene he’s had since a boy when growing up in Casablanca, Morocco. Other items, like a Ferris wheel, train and ornaments, were given to him this year by a neighbor unable to sell them via garage sale. His favorite items are anything Dr. Seuss-related, including a “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” board game and books.
“I’m a big Dr. Seuss fan,” he admitted. “When I was learning English, Dr. Seuss was a book that doesn’t translate into any other language. These books were a big part of me learning English.”
Miller plans to leave the exhibit in place through early January and expects to continue the holiday tradition in 2016.
“Next year, it’s going to be bigger and better,” he said.
Want to check it out? The Keauhou Post Office is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to noon Thursday. Last pickup for outgoing mail is noon Thursday. The post office is closed on Christmas Day.