Living dolls: Canton's whimsical animated displays set Christmas magic in motion.

Of all the small towns in Mississippi, perhaps none glows with the spirit of Christmas quite like Canton, where the entire downtown is covered in more than 200,000 twinkling lights that beckon visitors to capture the feeling of an old-fashioned Main Street.

Each year around Thanksgiving, the town square literally comes to life with a bevy of activities designed to delight families on a big-city scale, but with small-town charm.

Canton's annual Christmas transformation sprang to life 14 years ago, and from the beginning, its Animation Museums have been part of the magic. What began with 22 dilapidated figures salvaged from a warehouse has grown to more than 135 "little people" whose heads bob and arms wave in holiday scenes packed with wonder, imagination, and fantasy.

When two determined Canton women set out to bring an animated Christmas village to town, the pair soon found it would take more than happy childhood memories and vivid imaginations to get things "moving." For Canton Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Jo Ann Gordon and friend Wayni Terrill, the reality behind the fantasy eventually meant long hours spent with staple guns, duct tape, and twist ties, not to mention countless trips to salvage stores and charity shops to scrounge for meticulously detailed props. And they've loved every minute of the chaos.

"A late-night call during the summer of 1991 started the whole thing," says Terrill, now a Canton Welcome Center associate and unofficial artist-in-residence for the town's Visitors Bureau. A casual request from Gordon for ideas to attract visitors to Canton sparked a flood of memories for both women, and soon, plans were being set to bring animation to Canton.

"When I was a child growing up in Winona, my parents used to take me to Goldsmith's department store in Memphis to see the Victorian fantasy world of animated dolls in a display called the Enchanted Forest," Gordon recalls. Terrill countered with her own memories of going to Maison Blanche and Godchaux's in New Orleans to see animated window displays at Christmas.

"The idea of bringing a similar display to Canton just took off from there," Gordon says.

Before that fateful conversation was over, the women recalled another serendipitous detail closer to home: years before, Cerami's Restaurant on the Reservoir had displayed a nostalgic animated window scene. The restaurant, along with the 60-year-old German-made plaster figures, had changed ownership, but Gordon and Terrill tracked down the animated dolls, where they'd been neglected in an old warehouse.

"Seeing them at first was like going to a children's house of horrors," Gordon recalls. Broken, damaged, and tattered, the dolls lay in a state of disrepair, victims of time, mildew, and humidity. Included in the motley band were life-size boys and girls, a Santa and Mrs. Claus, an elf or two, a couple of reindeer, and a sleigh--figures, that, despite wear and tear, begged like well-loved toys for a second chance at life. Fortunately for the treasures and the women who would rescue them, it was love at first sight. A fee was paid, a truck was sent, and the troupe came out of hiding to rediscover a whole new purpose in Mississippi's "City of Lights."

"We could see the possibilities," Gordon says. A community team was formed to resuscitate the ailing dolls, which, to Gordon's delight, still had their own motors and frazzled cords. Costumes were repaired or replaced, faces were repainted, hairdos were freshened, and, for safety's sake, the electrical cords were reworked "to ensure that we didn't burn down the square," Terrill said.

An empty building on the square that frankly begged for its own "cosmetic cover-ups" got some fixing up and became the figures' first holiday home. When they at last took their places in displays depicting Canton's past, the figures themselves instantly became part of the town's history.

"We created a mini-Canton in its early historical days, including its railroad heritage, an old mercantile store, barber shop, millinery shop, classroom, and town hall," Gordon says. And when each figure was plugged in, one by one, the working miniature town "became a little magic for a while," she says.

"We opened our Children's Christmas Animated Village the day after Thanksgiving in 1991," Terrill says. "We thought we had hit the big time when 30 or 40 people would visit in a day."

The museum has grown to 135 figures in three separate displays, and more than 40,000 visitors are now drawn to Canton's monthlong Christmas festival each year. The sections are dubbed Animation I, Animation II, and Animation III and respectively represent Canton's history and heritage, the town's assets as part of the movie industry, and a Candyland Village. As concepts have evolved, new figures have been created by a New York company that custom-builds this type of character.

To preserve their fragile frames, the original dolls are now housed in a permanent still display, although some make cameo appearances in scenes each year, Gordon says.

"Creating this has been very therapeutic for Wayni and me," says Gordon, adding that she and Terrill often work until 3 or 4 a.m. for days at a time before each season's debut. "We love it. When you see babies' faces and families coming through, that's everything we want. We try to put the human touch to anything we do here. We've tried to make this a tradition in people's lives so that the minute the season starts, people will say, 'We're going to Canton!'"

Their success speaks for itself. Brian and Meg Fuller of Birmingham return each year to Meg's hometown of Canton to show their children Rob, Clara, and Lewis the wonders of a small-town Christmas. Meg's parents, Bob and Margaret Montgomery, still call Canton home.

"Our children are fascinated with the animation museums--from their old-fashioned look to how the figures move," Meg says. "Even for the baby, the animation is so magical. The kids love going to Canton and running around the square. And we always see people we know from all over Mississippi. Canton has done a great job of preserving its identity. The whole atmosphere is great."

For years, Marcy Lee of Madison took her Sunday School classes from Ridgecrest Baptist Church to visit the museums. "The kids always loved it," she says. "Sometimes the girls would take the pamphlets and read every word about each scene. We'd hear a lot of oohs and aahs, especially when they'd see the big Santa." This year, she's taking her own year-and-a-half-old daughter to see the magic.

Behind the scenes, things have changed for the better, Gordon says. "We've come a long way," she beams, pointing out that it now requires only one electrical switch to bring an entire museum to life. "It used to be that we had to plug each one in, one at a time. You just can't imagine."

The future holds more possibilities. "We determine what we think the audience wants, so to speak, and how the flavor of the community should remain, and have tried to add figures on an ongoing basis," Gordon says. "Generations of people here want to remember our past but keep it alive economically. So we combine the best of both worlds."

Terrill says the whole holiday project is a labor of love that will probably never be finished. "Here, we don't believe that less is more," she says. "There's always one more string of lights to be added."

christmas in canton

With a history too rich to forget and a town square too nostalgic to ignore, Canton has created a holiday institution that draws more than 40,000 visitors to its breathtaking Christmas wonderland each year.

While it's been a great marketing tool for the historic town, it's not just dollar signs that drive the amazing seasonal landscape that has become a family tradition for locals and visitors from all over the United States and beyond. Canton CVB executive director Jo Ann Gordon said it's the "human spirit" that keeps Christmas in Canton so magical.

Start the season with a visit to the Animation Museums for a whimsical glimpse into Canton's past and present. Animation I, the original exhibit, depicts scenes from Canton's history with artifacts donated by local families. Animation II brings to life Canton's role as the "movie capitol of Mississippi," with this year's theme celebrating a surprise party and a very special lifetime achievement award. Animation III features a Candyland Village, where a gingerbread house and magical treats conjure visions of sugarplums.

From November 25 through December 19, the Animation Museums will be open Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; and Sunday, November 27, 1-5 p.m. From December 19-23, the Animation Museums will be open Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m., and Friday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Admission is $2; school groups may contact the Canton Welcome Center for special rates.

Other holiday attractions open from November 25 until December 19 include a carousel on the square, horse and buggy rides, "Holiday Handcrafts" in the log cabin behind the old jail, and a miniature train and fire truck on the square. A special Merchants' Open House Weekend is set for November 25-27.

Animation Museum tickets will be available at the Canton Welcome Center, located at the historic Trolio Hotel on the west side of the Square. For more information, call 601/859-1307 or see www.cantontourism.com.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREG CAMPBELL