As Christmas approached Wednesday, the halls of Denver International Airport were decked with human-sized reindeer, elves and sickly green Grinches.

It took real concentration not to notice the Minions in Concourse C, a strolling pineapple person in Concourse B and a half-dozen roundish Santa Clauses bouncing into one another like beach balls in anticipation of cracking up their loved ones as they arrived in Denver. 

The holiday spirit at the airport this week is as contagious as a familiar Christmas tune.

“A woman told an airport police officer that she was in a terrible mood when she got here, and when she heard us, she felt so much better,” said Michelle Paul, aka Tiny Tim of the Original Dickens Carolers.

The quartet with a repertoire of 64 songs have been fa-la-la’ing in Colorado since 1986. Paul said that during their stroll through the airport Wednesday morning, a traveler dug through her purse, pulled out a recorder and joined them in an impromptu concert of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”

“It was incredible that she was able to blend in with our voices so well!” Paul said.

Airport spokesperson Stephanie Figueroa said that in the nearly three years that she has worked at the airport, she has seen “a microcosm of all human emotions” during the holiday season.

“It ranges from happiness to the sadness of people who may have just lost a loved one,” Figueroa said. “That in itself is beautiful.” 

She cautioned travelers to be sensitive of people around them.

“Be nice to people. That includes the TSA agents and airline employees. It’s a stressful time. We are all trying to board a plane and get somewhere,” she said. 

It’s true. Not everyone was feeling the spirit quite yet Wednesday.

One business traveler scowled at his computer as if a giant royal blue Christmas ball ornament was not looming over his head. The sound of suitcase wheels competed with the voice of Bing Crosby. 

In the busy end-of-year travel period from Dec. 18 to Dec. 26, more than 608,000 passengers are expected to go through the airport’s TSA checkpoints.

That’s an 8% increase over the same period last year.

The busiest travel days are likely to be Friday and Tuesday.

Holiday journeys

On Wednesday, travel was running smoothly for weary moms and dads strollering excited children in festive outfits like Cat-in-the-Hat pajama pants and snowflake sweatshirts. At the south end of Concourse B, families posed for cellphone photos in a very Colorado ski chair flanked by fake evergreens decorated with cotton snow in anticipation of the real thing.

Kevin Bogenreif, whose dad went to The School of Mines, spent some of his childhood here and then moved away to Iowa. He returned this year, hoping for a “white Christmas in the mountains” at the family cabin in Vail. 

A magical mood

At the the terminal escalator, a man in a Santa suit rang a Christmas bell, bear-hugged an embarrassed teenager and yelled “Merry Christmas!” for all to hear.

“What’s going on, dad?” said Seth Nichols, home for the first time since going off to Pennsylvania to attend Allegheny College. 

The fuzzy red outfit with an old-school leather belt worn by his father is a family outfit bought by Nichols’ great-uncle and passed down.

Speaking of tradition, in a separate corner of the terminal, Margaret Parker had tears in her eyes as she hugged her grandson. They’re going to make cinnamon rolls and cookies, visit St. Nick’s Christmas store and decorate a real tree they cut down from a neighbor’s property in Elizabeth.

“This means everything,” said Parker.

Her husband, in a wheelchair and veterans’ ball cap, gave a salute.

Last week, a stranger – touched by the sight of dozens of young men in uniform – paid for the the entire Air Force Falcons’ football team to get their standard issue black shoes shined. The players were on their way home to squeeze in a visit with family before the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Saturday against No. 24-ranked James Madison. 

Shoe-shiner Jonathan Soto has seen it all, including last Thursday, when The Grinch came by and told him: “Don’t have a good Christmas.” 

Even that negativity scene took a turn.

Secret Santa

In the DIA parking lot, a family saw a stout man with a real beard and Santa hat steering a car instead of a sleigh. The parents rolled down their windows at the request of their squealing kids, who could not believe their eyes.

Minutes later, travelers did double-takes as the Santa look-a-like, who claimed to be Mike Harshaw of Longmont, made his way through the airport – expressionless in a Christmas scarf, black suit and dark shades. 

He passed a gaping woman and gave her a green and brown-striped candy cane.

“It’s broken but it still tastes good,” he deadpanned, and headed off, a cane and red suitcase for balance, to catch a flight to who knows where.

Possibly heading north.