Del Chambordon

Adele Chambordon (born c. 1921; died December 8, 2012) was a bookkeeper at Loveman's department store, known to generations of children as "Twinkles the Elf" for her public appearances at the store during the Christmas shopping season.

Adele was the daughter of Lawrence and Catherine Fadely Chambordon. She was born with a type of dwarfism and reached a mature height of 4 feet 3 inches. She was a cheerleader at Woodlawn High School and began working at Loveman's in 1942. She retired in 1980 after 38 years when the downtown store closed.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Del participated as Santa's helper in Loveman's "Breakfast with Santa" promotion. She dressed as an elf and played the accordion while greeting children at Loveman's tea room. Her bright smile and sparkling personality made here a favorite with the public and she was invited to make appearances on the Lawrence Welk Show, the Art Linkletter Show, and, later in life, on the Maury Povich Show.

Chambordon spent her later years at St Martin's in the Pines. She died in 2012 and is buried at Forest Hill Cemetery.

References

• "Adele Chambordon" obituary (December 9, 2012) The Birmingham News
• Kazek, Kelly (December 13, 2012) "Birmingham's beloved Twinkles the Elf spread Christmas joy, was inspiration to Fannie Flagg." The Birmingham News