Window contest spreads cheer in Laguna Beach

With the COVID- 19 pandemic raging across the country, there has been little to celebrate, except perhaps the end of a difficult 2020.

And yet amid the doom and gloom there are signs that, at least in some quarters, holiday cheer cannot be stifled.

The Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce held a fun- filled window decorating contest, challenging participants to get creative with their designs and compete for the chance to have their businesses promoted.

Kristalle, a local shop that sells minerals, shells, fossils and jewelry, won the contest with a humorous take on a painful but unforgettable year.

The winning design included a Christmas- treelike display of rolls of toilet paper adorned with ribbons and ornaments. The words “Lets Flush 2020” are emblazoned on a ribbon of tissue across the window.

Wayne and Dona Leicht opened the shop in 1971, so the new year marks its 50th anniversary. Dona said she was not immediately sure what kind of reaction the contest entry would draw.

“We’ve got to find some humor in this, somewhere along the way,” Dona said. “As soon as I had this brilliant idea and I executed it with the help of my assistant, I said, ‘ Oh, God, we’re going to get a blowback from this. People are going to think that’s insane.’ ”

To her surprise, she said, people began showing up at the shop to take selfies in front of the window.

For winning the contest, Kristalle will get an advertising package valued at $ 1,400.

The Laguna Beach Historical Society and Areo, a home design and gift store, were selected as people’s choice winners from the 17 contest entries and will receive one month of free advertising from KX FM 104.7, a Laguna Beach- based radio station.

Sandy Morales, the new president and chief executive of the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce, said the idea for the first-time contest came from former CEO Paula HornbuckleArnold, who stepped down Dec. 14.

“I felt like it brought the Christmas spirit back during this difficult year, which is really so needed at this time,” Morales said. “Just walking downtown and seeing the decorations, you kind of forget all of the doom and gloom.”