EAST NEW MARKET, Md. - The Christmas Countdown sign on Main Street in East New Market has become a staple in town over the last few decades. Everyday, people drive by and find out just how many more shopping days are left before Santa Claus arrives. Sadly, the man behind the sign, Spencer Bradley, passed away Tuesday after a long fight with cancer.
Wednesday was cold a dreary in East New Market which fit in with the somber tone around town. There was a sense of sadness following Mr. Bradley's death. In December, Bradley said he believed the upcoming Christmas holiday could be his last and ultimately, and unfortunately, he was right.
"He had 24 hour care," said Jennifer Bradley, Spencer's niece. We took good care of him and he went peacefully and he's no longer in pain."
During an interview with WBOC nine days before Christmas, Bradley said his Christmas Countdown sign brought him an immense amount of joy. The sign, which had been through various design changes, has sat outside of his Main Street home for about 40 years according to Bradley. Every night Mr. Bradley would head outside and change the number, doing his best to not be caught in the act by anyone, including his family.
"I'm 17 years old and I never saw him change the sign at all," said Madison Horsman, Spencer's great niece. "But every time we came through here, if we were going somewhere, and I would look at it and go oh its how many days until Christmas. It was just something I would like to see."
During the December interview, Spencer Bradley said he was making preparations for someone else to take over the countdown sign when he passed. But it would be a secret, "top secret," as his family described it on Wednesday. The numbers will continue to change and the sign will remain on Main Street all in Mr. Bradley's honor.
"He left a legacy for our family and the community," Jennifer Bradley said. "And he was just a great guy."
Wednesday, the countdown to Christmas sat at 291 days. Thursday morning, the sign will read 290 and nobody quite knows who's going to change it. It's top secret. And maybe it's better that way.