There is no silver lining to spending Christmas in the slammer.

Some of the 19 women who will spend the holiday in Limestone County Jail this year are keenly aware of this. Yet, they have spent the lead up to the day turning trash into trimmings just to make the season a little brighter in the old Crossbar Hotel.

Since Thanksgiving, the women have been squirreling away scraps to make the decorations that have made their digs more festive.

It takes a lot of resourcefulness to decorate with nothing but candy wrappers, potato chip bags, empty liter bottles and other items, but they did it up well this year.

The jail staff let The News Courier take a peek at their décor Tuesday morning and talk to a few prisoners.

Nativity scene

On a window in one of the dorms, the prisoners created a simple crèche from cardboard strips, candy foil, religious magazine pictures and snow made of cotton balls.

They fashioned a wreath of empty green soda bottles and other scraps and hung it on the guardrail of the upper deck of cells.

On one wall, they created a Christmas tree from tan paper and adorned it with shiny cellophane and foil candy wrappers and other doodads.

On another wall hung the only man allowed in the hoosegow — a snowman made of candy wrappers, leftover stamp roll backing and brown paper. They adorned him with a decorated pantie-liner scarf, complete with an “A” to represent Alabama football, added a brown paper top hat and formed bows out of wrappers in place of buttons.

Nearby was a snow woman with a “Roll Tide” scarf made from the discarded backing of a roll of stamps, a brown paper football-shape purse, and two eyes made from pieces of a checkers game.

Feel the fire

In another dorm, the women dedicated part of a wall to their centerpiece — a paper Christmas tree adorned with ornaments made of candy wrappers and other shiny scraps, a fireplace with a crafty log set with flames made from the shiny sides of potato chip bags, and a snowman.

They also snaked a paper-chain garland up the staircase to the upper deck of cells, while each woman festooned her cell door with decorations or a christmas message, or both.

Messages home

There’s no place these women would rather be than home for the holidays. They miss their children, their parents, their husbands and significant others.

Jenny Whatley, who is from Birmingham, said she has three children at home with her parents — two boys and a girl who are 7, 10 and 12.

“It’s very hard to be here,” said Whatley, who was jailed after violating terms of probation on a previous conviction for manufacturing and possession of methamphetamine.

She said she was arrested after she contacted a boyfriend by email whom she was supposed to sever ties with. She has been free of methamphetamine for 2 ½ years and wants to stay that way.

Quitting was the hardest thing she has ever done, she said, and she wants to stay clean.

She had this message for her children:

“Tell them I love them and that I’m trying so hard to get my life right for them and for me because they need their mom.”

Spending Christmas behind bars is not something these women want to think about. One shed tears while talking about her children. Several said they were worried their families would worry about them on Christmas day instead of having a good time at home.

A young woman named Joslyn, jailed on a warrant, said she didn’t have children but she did have her mother, stepfather and brothers at home in West Limestone. She asked to share the following message:

“I love you, and don’t stress too much that I’m in here,” she said.

Susan Gilbert, who said she was jailed for failing to pay her fine and court costs, has two children at home, one 13 and the other 18.

Through her tears, she told them: “Do what you always do and make sure this doesn’t affect you. Do what you always do on Christmas morning.”

Dana Springer, who was in on a drug charge, said this was her third time to spend Christmas in jail. She has two children, ages 3 and 5, who are staying with their dad, she said.

“Tell them, I love them so much and wish I was home for Christmas,” she said.

All of the prisoners said they welcome visitors, especially this time of year.

Giving

Because Christmas day can be so disheartening for the incarcerated, Capt. Vanessa Rich, who oversees the jail, and her staff try to make it a little better for the women and men inside.

They will be served a big breakfast and a Christmas meal. Then, Sheriff Mike Blakely will play Santa and hand out goodie bags. In previous years, the bags have contained candy, fruit, cards, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste and other items.

Only Santa and staff know for sure.