When most people envision a Christmas tree, they imagine its evergreen boughs bursting with color, twinkling bright lights, seasonally colored ornaments, popcorn and cranberry garlands, and perhaps even tantalizing tinsel. But the Beach Club at the Coronado Shores has taken one of its Christmas trees to all new “ecological” heights, with its fresh evergreen boughs completely adorned to be “green” as every ornament is a recycled beach toy reclaimed from the coastline of Coronado.
Every year, during our tumultuous King Tides, hundreds of children’s plastic beach toys surface from beneath the sand, caused by the commotion of captivating King Tide swells crashing along the shoreline. If not rescued from their sandy perches, these plastic toys would likely add to the clutter of our already polluted ocean. Worse yet, they might become part of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch located halfway between California and Hawaii.
That’s why the @Coronadobeachcomber and her avid accomplice considerately collect these orphaned beach treasures and find ways to put them to good use. In the past, hundreds of reclaimed plastic toys were given to the Interact Club at Coronado High School for delivery to an orphanage in Tijuana that these benevolent teenagers support. Local preschools and nonprofits have also been the recipient of these collected treasures.
This year, the seven foot evergreen tree soaring in the southwest corner of the Beach Club at the Coronado Shores is brimming with almost 200 reclaimed toys, strung from the boughs with natural twine. Even better, local children decorated this tree including the three Blomsness siblings who live in the Shores, and three Bond children who frequently visit to swim in the pool with their grandmother.
Our next King Tides are expected to start crashing on Friday, December 13 through Sunday, December 15. In case you’re looking for a few extra ornaments for your tree, you might try beachcombing right here at home while bringing home colorful treasures and keeping our beaches clean.
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