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EAGLE MOUNTAIN — Nothing says Happy Holidays like someone yelling at you with a furrowed brow and an angry, accusatory finger. Then again, there is something else that conveys the same message, and it comes in the form of a smile, a wave and a "Ho-ho-ho."
In recent weeks, a Grinch and Santa Claus have been running amok, bringing joy to the residents of Eagle Mountain. Not to mention, when long-time resident Michael Johnson dons his Grinchy get-up and accompanying attitude, it brings a grin to his face that is difficult to wipe off (and we're not talking about the prosthetics).
"He's the mean one," Johnson said about his alter ego. "I get to yell at people and be mean and it makes them happy. It's kind of a strange dichotomy."
We've gotta keep that sense of community, because if we don't we'll lose it.
–Michael Johnson
Johnson, whose day job is working as a veterans representative for the Utah Department of Workforce Services, began dressing as the infamous holiday villian three years ago for city-sponsored events and his own leisure. He also volunteers in various capacities in the city, and said that his love for the residents of Eagle Mountain is what prompts his desire to yell at them from street corners and to destroy holiday community gatherings.
Santa on a horse?
Another long-time resident decided that putting on a red coat, hat, curly white beard and genuine smile would best capture the hearts of the people in her community.
Tiffany Ulmer, who has lived in Eagle Mountain for 22 years, doesn't shy away from serving her community. In recent years, however, that service has come in the form of traveling on horseback while dressed as Santa, the jolly old elf.
She often begins the Holiday season early, dressing as Santa for Halloween and handing out candy with a jingle and a "Ho-ho-ho!" She said doing it makes her happy, and she hopes it makes others happy, too.
"I just thought it would be fun to see Santa on a horse around town," Ulmer said. "I thought it would bring a lot of smiles, and I thought the kids would get a kick out of it. … When people tell me that seeing me around town has made a difference in their life, I understand because it's made a difference in mine, too."
A grumble and a 'Ho-ho-ho'
In an unlikely twist, the two characters got together.
Johnson (the Grinch) reached out to Ulmer (Santa) for a street corner collaboration. Johnson said it is evidence that the Grinch-y smile is more genuine than what some might believe.
"For me (the Grinch) is imperfectly perfect," Johnson said. "He says he doesn't love anybody and he's mean and everything, but he has foundations of goodness and they just need to be brought back out. We each have our bad days and things that we don't like; and it might take some time to come around — plus it's fun to act like a rotten little 12-year-old sometimes."
While Johnson and Ulmer may be different in their approach to the holiday season, there is one thing both Santa and Grinch can agree on — the importance of bringing people together through joy and laughter.
"Eagle Mountain is growing, and with that, we're starting to get less people-friendly and that's really hard," Johnson said. "That's when we've got to focus on the people. We've gotta keep that sense of community, because if we don't we'll lose it."
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Arianne Brown
