Scenes from a previous “live” nativity at CW Fudge Factory in Matlacha. The nativity scene will return to CW Fudge Factory as part of this year’s Christmas Eve celebration in Matlacha. PHOTO PROVIDED
CW Fudge Factory owner William Tidball admits the annual live nativity scene he arranges with co-owner Carlos Gomez in the parking lot of the shop on Christmas Eve, is an anniversary gift from the two of them back to the community.
The tradition really began 14 years ago, the first year CW opened on Pine Island, Tidball explained. Gomez was still working in Orlando, and Tidball was waiting for him on the island. Their employee had lost a son that year, he said. In an effort not to allow her to be alone on the holiday, Tidball told her, once Gomez arrived, they were taking her to dinner.
“About 2 in the afternoon they started doing all the luminaries – there was a lot of activity in the town of Matlacha, but no business, no one was shopping. There was woman riding a bike up and down the street, wearing antlers. She just looked like she needed someone to talk to,” Tidball said.
He invited her in, explaining that it was Christmas Eve and he had to get rid of some of the fudge in the store before they closed for the holiday. The women came in, he said, and struck up a conversation with his employee, which lasted over 2 hours. Tidball tried to invite the woman from the bicycle to join them all for dinner. She said no, he explained, but told him if they hadn’t been open that day, she would have spent all of Christmas Eve alone.
“So I was alone, my employee’s lost her son and she’s alone, Carlos was traveling alone and when we went to dinner, we came back onto the island and I just drove through the luminaries in Matlacha and I thought, no one should be alone on Christmas-this is too beautiful,” Tidball said.
It was decided that night, if they were still open in a year, they would do a live nativity in their parking lot and offer it to anyone who wanted or needed it, he said. Although they put it on, the community rises to the occasion by volunteering for everything else, such as singing or playing instruments.
“You never know what’s going to happen. We only plan the live nativity and other people plan all the other stuff around it,” Tidball said.
Live nativity scene acts are at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Dec. 24 in the parking lot of CW Fudge Factory. Hot chocolate, made with CW Fudge, is served free of charge.
CW Fudge Factory is at 4548 Pine Island Road, Suite D, Matlacha. For more information, call (239) 283-9911.
To reach PAULETTE LeBLANC / pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com, please email