NATCHEZ — A close look at an animated display of Santa driving a sleigh pulled by his reindeer on the Natchez bluff reveals a glaring deficiency — a headless Rudolph.

The aging display is one of a few on the bluff’s annual display with broken parts, cracked or peeling displays and characters missing limbs.

The City of Natchez and local residents are hoping to partner to restore the decades-old Christmas decorations on the bluff.

Many of the popular decorations were part of the former International Paper Company’s annual Natchez Christmas display until an energy crisis in the 1970s forced them into storage. The displays sat in storage for years, but periodically have been restored and have become a staple of Christmas in Natchez in recent years.

Natchez Public Works recently inventoried the decorations, creating a reference book of the arrangement of the displays and the specific needs of each one.

“We saw a need, so we created a book with the locations of the displays and what was needed for each display, because a few of them need some attention,” Public Works Supervisor Justin Dollar said.

Aside from general maintenance, Public Works is not equipped to make artistic repairs to the displays, Dollar said.

“As far as painting the displays, it would take somebody with a specialized skill to restore them,” he said.

This week, resident Burnley Cook, who previously worked on restoration efforts of the displays, contacted Dollar to discuss what could be done about the decorations.

Cook said he recently noticed several people posting about the condition of the displays on social media. When he posted on Facebook about the displays, he said a few people said they would donate to efforts to restore the decorations.

Cook plans to gather residents interested in helping with the efforts for an informal meeting with Public Works to discuss a plan of action.

“I think it would be a great thing to do to get the community involved,” Cook said. “The more people you have, the more people who take a personal interest in it, and it’s much more likely that if people have a vested interest … they would want to go down and replace a light bulb or two themselves.”

Dollar said he is hopeful residents will volunteer their services to help with the restoration, because Public Works has limited resources to devote to the project.

“We allocate about two and a half weeks every year to Christmas decorations, because that is about all we can do because we are so busy,” he said.

The placement of the displays on the bluff, Cook said, may not be in the best interest of their continued maintenance. Additionally, Cook said the view of the displays is often obstructed by utility poles, benches and signs on the bluff.

Cook said he has seen children play inside the displays or people stand in them for photographs.

“ I think that has contributed to some of their damage,” he said. “And that’s a very dangerous situation. You have electricity going up inside the displays.”

Cook said he thinks the displays would be better suited at the Natchez Visitor Reception Center in a well-lit, area under surveillance.

Mayor Darryl Grennell said he brought up the displays in his weekly meeting with department heads last week.

Grennell said he knows former shop teachers in town, and city department heads suggested others who might take on the restoration and upkeep of the IP displays as a hobby.

Grennell said the displays are a longstanding tradition in celebrating Christmas in Natchez, and efforts should be made to ensure that tradition continues.

“I remember those displays as a kid,” he said. “My parents would load all … of us up, and there would be cars in a line a mile long waiting to go through and look at the displays.”

Grennell said he is hoping money can be raised for the restoration efforts through a fundraiser.

“The city budget is tight right now,” he said. “We may can find some money for it, but I am really hoping we can have a fundraiser.”