Social - December 2003

Home decked out for the season

By DIANE TURBYFILL, Staff Writer

————————————

Tommy the Snowman welcomes each visitor as they enter Shirley Moore’s winter wonderland.

The talking decoration only introduces what’s in store.

Moore’s Crescent Court home glows by the light of 14 Christmas trees and an endless supply of stuffed Santas, snowmen, dogs and frogs.

“It’s a lot of work putting it up and taking it down,” Moore says.

Moore begins preparing for Christmas the week before Halloween, and her home stays decorated until mid to late January.

She says her neighbors and four grandchildren love her decorations. She remembers a group of children having a field day with her talking Santas.

“They had everything going at one time. You couldn’t hear anything,” she laughs.

Moore has stuffed animals and figurines that talk, sing, bark and ribbit Christmas songs and greetings. She says her decorations and festive scenes keep her in the holiday spirit.

“At the end of the night I don’t turn on any lights, just my Christmas trees. I sit back and enjoy,” she says.

Moore has a tree in every window visible from the road. She even has a miniature tree in her bathroom.

The trees have various themes, and presents are sorted accordingly.

Her grandchildren’s presents go under the children’s tree. Presents for the rest of the family go under the magnolia tree, and friends’ gifts are placed under one of Moore’s fiberoptic trees.

Moore says her Christmases are completely different than those she had as a child. She remembers going to the Christmas tree farm. Her family would pick out a tree and chop it down.

She finds artificial trees to be much more manageable.

When she was married, Moore and her husband decorated two or three trees in their house a year. Each year she has added more and more to her collection.

Snowmen have become her favorite decorations. Fiberoptic snowmen that she bought this season now decorate a hall in her home.

Storing the growing collection hasn’t become a problem — yet.

“I have a lot of stuff I don’t even get out now. I’m going to have to add onto the house if I keep going,” she laughs.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

Terms and Conditions