Hometown Heroes

Jim and Teresa Huffman have brought holiday cheer to the Fairfield community by giving Santa a new house and workshop.

The couple are best known locally for running JC Huffman Cabinetry, which began 32 years ago when Jim set up shop in his one-car garage. At the time, Jim was working in a factory and built cabinets as a hobby. When the home of Teresa's parents was badly damaged in a fire, Jim helped them rebuild by making new cabinets for the kitchen. An insurance adjuster came by to see the renovations and was so impressed by Jim's craftsmanship that he ordered custom cabinets for his own home.

Jim and Teresa were high school sweethearts at Davis County Community School District in Bloomfield and ran their business from their home in Davis County until moving it to Fairfield 25 years ago. In 2019, Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Darien Sloat asked Teresa to look at the Santa House that's placed at the northeast corner of the square every Christmas season. He was curious to know if she could make it more presentable.

Teresa examined it and suggested Santa needed a new home.

'I was halfheartedly joking, but the house was in bad shape,” Teresa said.

Teresa raised money on her own, plus a contribution from the Chamber, to build a new house and refurbish the old house into a workshop for Santa's elves, where kids could make their ornaments after getting their picture with Santa. Employees at JC Huffman Cabinetry volunteered their time to build the house and give the workshop a new floor, doors, siding and windows. The new house is heated with a fireplace instead of a small space heater as before, has a ramp for easier access and has a room specifically to distribute cookies and hot chocolate to kids and their families as they wait to meet St. Nick.

The Huffmans said the new Santa house and workshop were well received by the community.

'Anytime I went anywhere, people thanked me,” Teresa said. 'And Santa is thankful that the house is heated with a fireplace.”

Sadly, the house and workshop are not being used this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, but residents can still stop by to see them when they visit Central Park this holiday season.

- Andy Hallman