My husband, Tony, was the first golf addict I ever met. Now I have dozens of friends wrapped up in playing 18 holes every chance they get, but in 1991, his love of golf was unique to me.
Soon after our wedding, I came upon a Santa Claus figure dressed in knickers with a golf bag slung over his shoulder and, thinking of Tony, I bought it immediately. The more I looked, the more golfing Santas I found. I have Santa lining up a putt, Santa swinging through his drive and Santa riding in a golf cart. Who knew St. Nick played that much golf? I thought he just made toys in the off-season, but I guess he has elves working hard, so he hits the links almost as much my hubby.
I own about 35 Santas in golf cleats and display them every year on the bookshelves in my family room. My kids are not into golf and, therefore, not into my collection, but fortunately, they have their own. When all three were born, my aunt started specific ornament collections for each of them. Catie has Hallmark Teddy Bear figurines, Courtney gets Snowbabies and Christopher receives the official White House ornament every year. The kids love to see their collections grow and shared them many times in elementary school. My mom also buys Chris a yearly nutcracker, and he is particularly fond of the New York Yankees one, pinstripes and all.
Lindsay Sears
Dublin resident Lindsay Sears has about 32 nutcrackers, and has been collecting since she was in high school.
“My mom tried to connect the nutcrackers to our interests, so she gave me a witch because I liked Halloween and a skier because our family loved to ski,” explains Lindsay.
Lindsay has moved nine times, and the giant blue Tupperware container of nutcrackers has moved with her. Her 14-year-old twins, Emma and Bronwen, enjoy unwrapping the figures and setting up a display on the mantel and bookshelves.
“We can’t remember all that we have, and we’re always surprised to discover the ones we forgot about,” says Lindsay.
Pam Kirk
Pam Kirk started collecting nutcrackers in 1993 when her boys, Ryan and Justin, were 5 and 7 and wanted to start a new tradition. Pam also tries to tie the nutcrackers to a yearly theme, such as a German figure with a stein to represent when her son went to Germany. They also have sailors, bakers, artists, sports and Boy Scouts.
“My sons like to play a game of guessing what theme I have selected for the year,” says Pam. “They tease me, but I think they also appreciate my efforts.”
Holly Tuite
Holly Tuite loves all things Christmas. “It could partially be my name and having a December birthday,” says Holly.
She has seven holiday trees throughout her house, each decorated in its own unique style. There is an Irish tree in the dining room that Holly started acquiring ornaments for when she moved to Dublin 15 ½ years ago.
The Tuites also have a peppermint candy-themed tree in their game room and a family memories tree that contains ornaments from Holly’s childhood, items handed down from grandparents and handmade mementoes by her children. Around the holidays, Holly displays a gingerbread collection in her kitchen and a snowman collection in the family and dining rooms.
Patte Widerschein
Patte Widerschein also has a family memory tree that contains photo ornaments and the collections of all three of her children. The tradition started when the expensive Waterford and Christopher Radko ornaments kept breaking and Patte and her husband, Neil, decided the kids needed their own tree.
“When they were little, only the bottom of the tree was decorated because that is as high as the kids could reach, but they were always allowed to decorate it their own way,” says Patte.
Now that Brooke, Mark and Kelly are college age and above, they still love playing music, going through their collections and having fun with some of the old embarrassing photo ornaments.
The Westerheides
Ken and Kristine Westerheide always had the custom of watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while decorating their trees for the holidays. Once the three kids came along, they were allowed to watch the classic Christmas movie, as it was part of the tradition. The collection started with the Blackhawks Griswold #00 jerseys that Ken and son Connor wear. Next came the moose mugs that hold the eggnog. Finally, Kristine purchased the village collection online from the National Lampoon Christmas Vacation Collectibles, complete with station wagon, RV and tons of Christmas lights.
“I think our son Joey will get his own jersey this year,” laughs Kristine.
James Karpac
You may have noticed the decorated windows of Dr. James Karpac’s Historic Dublin orthodontist office. He gets a lot of enjoyment from decorating for the holidays and has been accumulating items for 25 years.
He even has storage units filled with plastic bins of merchandise and takes photos every year to use as cheat sheets so he and his staff can decorate more easily. The comical displays put clients at ease and add an element of fun. People look forward to coming in and seeing what is new in the showcase.
James loves inflatables, and says the Grinch is his favorite.
“Who doesn’t love the Grinch?” he asks. He constantly replenishes his collection as pieces age or get broken. The orthodontist usually buys double, as he decorates his Gahanna office as well.
When clients ask if his home is just as decorated he says, “No, there’s nothing at home. I use it all up in the office!”
Colleen D’Angelo is a freelance writer who lives in Dublin with her husband, three children and several small animals. She enjoys playing tennis, walking the Dublin bike paths and traveling.
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