Who Places The Flags Around Smithville For The Fourth Of July?

By Kristen Meriwether, Publisher

It’s the Fourth of July in Smithville, and once again, the streets of the city’s center are lined with American flags. Every year, a few days before July 4, the flags are delivered to their spot by the mailbox, leading many in our community to take to Nextdoor or Facebook to thank the “flag fairies.”

But would you believe it’s actually Santa and Mrs. Claus delivering the annual dose of patriotism?

For 12 years, Debby and Tim Giraud, who play Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Hyatt Regency each year, have been blessing Smithville with their Fourth of July flag deliveries. But the duo actually started the tradition 18 years ago when they lived near Magnolia, outside of Houston.

Their neighborhood only had about 150 homes, and the job took a few hours. But in 2013, the couple decided it was time to move. After a real estate deal fell through in Crockett, fate placed Debby in Smithville, a few blocks from her brother Jerry, a Marine veteran.

The Girauds decided to continue the flag-planting tradition in Smithville, something most residents — particularly the city’s many military veterans — enjoy.

“When we put these flags out, they just love them,” Debby said during an interview from her home. “Just the other day, this one lady must have thanked us 10 times.”

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Debby said they usually purchase the flags in March or April but had to wait until May this year to catch a sale. Even then, prices were high.

“We did 100 fewer this year because prices went up so much,” Tim said. “Normally we do 700, but this year we had to drop back to 600.”

Despite the price increase, the Girauds don’t take money for their annual act of kindness.

“Sometimes they’ll say they want to give me a donation, or they’ll want to help,” Debby said. “And I say, I just do this because we love doing it.”

On Monday, the patriotic duo borrowed a golf cart and started placing a flag at the base of each mailbox on the city’s central streets at 7:15 a.m. Even after taking only a 15-minute break, it still took over six hours.

At 75 years old, the heat and miles of walking are starting to take a toll on the Girauds. We interviewed them on Wednesday, and they said they were still sore.

“We don’t know how much longer we’re going to be able to do it,” Tim admitted.

They don’t have an heir apparent waiting in the wings, but it’s a long-standing tradition in Smithville now–one we hope that continues for years to come.