McALESTER, Okla. -- Following the self-proclaimed approach of "reduce, reuse and re-Christmas," four employees from the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, here, used some unique materials to make a statement during the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation-sponsored Christmas door-decorating contest.
Using scrap from a street sweeper brush for a wreath, and bolts, springs and a forklift gauge to form the outline of a tree, employees from the Directorate of Logistics Maintenance (DLM) created a door that, while not particularly attractive, demonstrated its creativity and captured the spirit of the holidays.
"My mother [Geri Danaher] has a clock made out of nails and that's sort of where the idea came from," said Morgan Santiago, the DLM team lead.
"Everybody helped," she said. "When guys replaced things on a truck, they asked if we could use it. That was our little twist on the contest."
The door didn't take any of the top three prizes, but the team's ingenuity caused Col. Joseph G. Dalessio, MCAAP commander and one of three judges, to create an honorable mention category.
Each member of the DLM team received a $25 Chili's Grill & Bar gift card.
The Directorate of Resource Management claimed first place for its gingerbread man theme. The door and adjacent walls were adorned in nearly 30 homemade gingerbread man cookies and even a few made of paper. The decorations included a Christmas tree fashioned from 27 rolls of different Christmas wrapping paper and a rusty old milk jug filled with six three-foot high red and white candy canes.
"We thought about gingerbread cookies and the ways to make candy," said Misty Tollett, DRM team lead. "Then we just went with it. We're very proud of it."
Each of the three members received a $50 Wal-Mart gift card.
Second place was claimed by a three-person team from the Industrial Operations Division of the Ammunition Operations Directorate. For their door and wall display, which included Santa riding on a mock bomb, each member received a $40 Lowe's gift card.
The Directorate of Engineering and Public Works won third place for its display of Santa Claus stuck in the chimney. Each of its five members received a $30 MWR gift certificate.
FMWR created the contest in 2010. This year there were 16 entries, nearly double the number from last year, said Flo Barlow, FMWR community activities coordinator.
Dalessio and fellow judges Cheryl Osborne, administrative assistant to the commander, and Brian Lott, chief of staff, found the judging more challenging than they expected.
"The competition was really tight this year," Dalessio said. "The entries included everything from traditional decorations to one group using scrap from the plant to create a wreath and Christmas tree design on their door. Our employees never cease to amaze me with their creativity."
In addition to the Christmas door-decorating contest, FMWR has also planned an Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest for the workforce at the Afterhours Club, Dec. 11, and the annual MCAAP Christmas Party at the Lee V. Maxwell Complex, Dec. 18.
"These contests build morale among the workforce during the holidays, but they also permit us to give something back to the employees who patronize our MWR facilities and services throughout the year," said Randy Wengstrom, FMWR director.
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McAlester Army Ammunition Plant is the Department of Defense's premier bomb- and warhead-loading facility. It is one of 14 installations of the Joint Munitions Command and one of 23 organic industrial bases under the U.S. Army Materiel Command, which include arsenals, depots and ammunition plants. MCAAP is vital to ammunition stockpile management and delivery to the Joint Warfighter for training and combat operations.
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