Published in the December 7 – 20, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Joseph Richmond

Clad in my Boy Scouts of America uniform, I stepped out of the car in front of the Guglielmo Winery and wandered into the storeroom and saw it — the Magic Ship of Christmas. I donned my Santa hat and it synced to the music billowing from the disguised speakers on the ship.

The other Troop 799 members and I pulled out into the newly onset night. People honked and waved as we glided along Main Avenue. There is no experience like an evening shift aboard the Magic Ship of Christmas. For more than four decades, our troop members have been spreading Christmas spirit with the ship. We visit parties, restaurants, shopping centers, and public events. There are few who haven’t seen us parading around Morgan Hill.

As a Boy Scout, I have the privilege of walking beside the ship in downtown’s Morgan Hill Holiday Parade. As the final entry, many residents trail behind us, adding to the spirit of unity and togetherness. Upon reaching our destination, Santa Claus aids Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate in lighting the Christmas Tree in front of the Community and Cultural Center. We stick around afterwards and the children get to see Santa. The excitement on the children’s faces as we come to a halt at the end of the parade is too much.

Everyone mingles and talks to old friends and family. If not for the Magic Ship, they wouldn’t have a reason to stick around. Now, as a large Boy Scouts troop unit, we have a need for many a penny to keep this local tradition going. Most troops sell Christmas wreaths or other items to raise money for their projects. We have the Magic Ship — one of the most exciting and engaging ways we could possibly raise our funds. To add to it, the scouts working on the ship retain all sorts of memories and experience new things. But most importantly, we have a lot of fun together.

The Magic Ship of Christmas is a staple of the holiday season here, but it wasn’t always this way. Originally, the ship was a 1963 Studebaker. It appeared in a parade as a ship but was promptly sent into storage. Troop 799 got hold of it and turned it into the Magic Ship of Christmas. We are still adding new things every year, like last year we implemented a wireless synchronization so our Santa hats would blink along to the lights of the ship.

Working as part of the crew on the ship, I am the recipient of many a smile and it makes me feel as if I am doing something to aid in bettering the community. I feel the Magic Ship really brings everyone together and spreads the joyful cheer around. The Magic Ship of Christmas has become a solid tradition in many of our communities and so I look forward to the 2016 season to serve as one of Santa’s elves.

If you might like to get in touch with the Magic Ship of Christmas and help support this annual Morgan Hill tradition, you can visit our website at www.magicshipofchristmas.org or check out our facebook page at www.facebook.com/MagicShipofChristmas.

Joseph Richmond is the scribe for Morgan Hill Boy Scouts of America Troop 799. He wrote this column for Morgan Hill Life.