‘Tis the season — since January

For the Garrard family, Christmas lasts all year long.

Things have been this way since late 2010, when Italia turned to her parents with sadness etched on her face. She didn’t want the colorful lights and presents to be boxed up and tucked away, she said, mournful in a way that perhaps only a 4-year-old can be about the conclusion of holiday festivities.

And so, Angelica and LaMoin began mulling over how to prolong the day and its inherent spirit.

They cut out a small part of the Christmas tree trunk and decided to join their children in painting it. Seated around the dining table, the Glendora family derived so much pleasure from the shared activity that they kept at it. Their efforts took the shape of ornaments that were distributed to friends and family, who, in turn, suggested they sell them.

In a few weeks, the Garrards will wait until it gets dark and then hop into a red pickup truck and drive around neighborhoods in Glendora. They plan to load up trees that have been discarded on sidewalks.

“[In 2012], we did about three or four runs,” Angelica, 39, said. “The kids fell asleep in the car. It’s a nice process for us.”

In the meantime, though, the couple will take their place among 24 artists who, starting Saturday, will debut at the Winter Fantasy at the Sawdust Art Festival. They will be among nearly 175 participants exhibiting and selling their wares at the event’s 23rd annual installation, themed “Enter a Whole New World of Art.”

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An extended art family

Unlike its summer counterpart, the Winter Fantasy is open to non-Laguna Beach residents, presenting work by artists around the United States.

“The planning committee wanted to provide a wider pool of artists the opportunity to showcase their artwork in one of the most unique art festival grounds,” said festival spokeswoman Cynthia Fung. “Since the Winter Fantasy is over a brief period of time in comparison to the summer, this seemed like a perfect chance to do so, which also allowed for the summer artists to choose whether or not they would keep their booth for their own exhibition or lend the space to another fellow artist.”

As in the past, the Winter Fantasy will feature a Towne Square where Santa’s House will be located along with a festive backdrop for photographs to be taken, including a reindeer barn, gazebo, sleigh, play house and falling snow. With an eye on community involvement, organizers want to ensure that their 15 Christmas trees are festooned by Orange County-based nonprofits; a volunteer committee is created to adorn the grounds.

The holiday-themed winter wonderland, which also includes a petting zoo, entertainers jiving to holiday music and art classes, will be launched by Mayor Kelly Boyd at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday. Mayor Pro Tem Elizabeth Pearson will officiate the community tree lighting ceremony at 5:30 p.m., and winners of the artist’s booth and Christmas tree decorating contests will be announced after the first 200 guests’ votes have been tallied.

“The anti-mall handcrafted items created by the artists featured on our festival grounds provide a very attractive holiday shopping solution to the public,” Fung noted. “The popularity of our unique festival is what attracts artists year after year.”

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‘It doesn’t mean a lot of presents’

According to Angelica Garrard, the Winter Fantasy affords her family a unique opportunity to gain exposure and supplement the income her husband, the household’s sole breadwinner, earns at the Ramón C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts in Los Angeles.

“As a teacher, he’s had a lot of furlough days, and we’ve had a difficult time refinancing our home because it’s worth less than when we bought it,” she said, voicing the struggles of countless Americans. “We have looked for ways to help ourselves but haven’t been able to. We are getting by — at least we have a roof over our heads.”

The pair attempted to sell their products on Etsy, an online market for handmade and vintage items, but sales were sluggish at best. Now, they are preparing for the Winter Fantasy, armed with the knowledge that this year will “make or break them,” Angelica said.

Determined not to sit around complaining about their lack of resources without investigating every possible avenue, the Garrards trimmed branches, cut trunks into smaller logs, sanded, primed and sealed the wood, which was later sliced like you would ham or a block of cheese. Once each piece was dry, they worked until the wee hours and spent every available weekend perfecting stars, poinsettias, candy canes and drum sets with acrylic paint. The family, which is already listening to Christmas music and watching similarly themed movies, will also sell LaMoin’s watercolor Nutcracker paintings.

“My husband and I were lucky to have been raised in happy homes where this was the best time of the year,” Angelica recalled, her voice cracking through tears. “And we wanted to share that with our kids and [customers]. We hope they feel the joy of Christmas. It doesn’t mean a lot of presents, but just being with family and doing simple things.”

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Offbeat materials

Like the Garrards, Silke Turner is counting down to the weekend with equal parts excitement and nervousness.

She conceived of her artistic style during hikes and walks with her dogs. Keenly in tune with nature, she began to notice the textures and colors of seeds, leaves and grass. To her, even a rusty nail reflected patterns and told a story. So she began foraging at estate sales, avoiding those where she was likely to find antiques or perfectly maintained odds and ends.

Instead, she frequented spots that others might overlook, collecting treasures like old yarn spools, washers, metal tools, whiskey boxes, burlap and even bones, which, she rushed to clarify, are disinfected before use or sale.

“I dig through boxes and put spider’s webs to the side,” said Turner, of Laguna Niguel. “I want to convey a message to people to look for the beauty in old things and not to go for what’s new all the time.”

Collecting her finds in her home studio, Turner, who is slated to share her booth with fellow artist and friend D. Lee Confer, has spent the past few years stretching vintage pillow cases and cleaning cloth from the 1930s and 1940s to create canvases and using box lids that double as frames.

“Now that people know what I like, I have neighbors who find things and contact me, asking, ‘Do you want this?’” she said. “And I reply, ‘Oh, yes I do!’”

If You Go

What: Sawdust Art Festival’s 23rd Annual Winter Fantasy — “Enter a Whole New World of Art”

Where: 935 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach

When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday to Dec. 15

Cost: $6 for adults, $5 for seniors (65+), $3 for children (6 through 12), free for children 5 and younger, $9 for a season pass

Information: (949) 494-3030 or https://www.sawdustartfestival.org