For more than 25 years, my Mom’s side of the family has gone to the Riverview “Christmas House” on Christmas Eve (or close to).
Who knew that walking through some strangers yard, year after year, looking at their amazing Christmas decorations could become such a cherished tradition.
For decades, I peered through the windows in awe that the inside appears even more meticulously decorated than the outside. Always wondering how much more there could be, that we can’t see from the exterior view.
Each year, I take photo after photo …. as if I don’t have the picture from the year prior, or prior to that, for that last 20 years. As if it’s changed.
Now, they have added and removed stuff over the years, but I think you know what I mean.
Annually we take a Christmas House photo with our family. THAT PHOTO contains the real change. The evolution of our family’s life through time, year after year after year. Family members who’ve moved elsewhere or were visiting that year, or perhaps passed on. Occasional Ex-Girlfriends & Ex-Boyfriends long since forgotten. The first Christmas photo with the fam and our would-be future wive’s & husband’s. Babies now teenagers. Teens now young adults. Young Adults now turning gray, with our own children; some just kids & some now teens. And at the root, there’s my stepdad (Dad-Shawn as I call him) & Mom. The two who began bringing us here years and years ago. The two people who ALWAYS made this side of our family’s Christmas a magical time of the year; by nothing short of a miracle.
Mom passed away a few years ago. As an unspoken family promise, this tradition will continue, until the owners of this incredible Christmas House are no longer able to continue providing their own magical experience to the world.
This year, I had the pleasure of meeting the owners; Terry & Linda. How this happened is not by chance. Last year, a Hurricane damaged their house and they were not able to decorate. In place of going there, I invited our family to my house as a next best thing…even though it’s not even close, Terry & Linda are decorating idols to me. But our home, like theirs, is filled with decorations on the inside and outside and carries many memories of Mom & others from past years.
After leaving our house, Dad-Shawn & my sister Marisa had a beautiful idea and I’m thankful they followed through with it. They stopped by the Christmas House to bring the owners a pan of my Mom’s lasagna (which the ladies of our family make every year for dinner) just to say thank you; to let them know how much we appreciate their annual tradition and how visiting their house has become a tradition of our own for over 2 decades. Thankfully Terry & Linda answered the door. But even more amazing, they invited them in for a while. Shawn called me not long after letting me know they went by and how things went and that they were appreciative of the kind gesture. But also that they went inside…. And how incredible it was in there.
Fast forward to this Christmas Eve 2025; we arrive and go over to the popcorn machine where they are typically and say hello. This time is different though. Shawn is instantly recognized and Terry remembers him by name. We all get introduced and of course thank them for their years of family memories they’ve allowed us to make. As we head over to take our family photos, Shawn mentions that Linda has graciously offered to give us a tour of the inside, once we finish the exterior walk-through. In my head, we’re on a big time crunch to get Tyler home in time to make cookies for Santa, put out food for the reindeer, and all our traditions…but I don’t want to miss this! I’ve been waiting forever for the opportunity.
We take our family photos and make our rounds throughout their 2+ acres of Christmas incredibleness. Stopping at all our favorite pieces and of course at Mom’s favorite; the crescent moon Santa. I’m always in awe of the things they have collected and have always wondered where they got it all; as it isn’t Lowes or Home Depot style stuff. As we near the end of the walk-through, we discuss that we should retake our group photo and include them… as they are truly part of our extended family, even though we’ve never spent more than a few moments “with” them. They paused passing out popcorn and came over. And that is the photo I am sharing as our Murray Family Photo for 2025.
Then Linda takes us inside. Ya’ll…. It’s everything I imagined it would be and more. Linda’s attention to detail, her creativity, her curation… it’s all so perfect. Each main room is theme’d and has a dedicated tree. Multiple curio cabinets of curated pieces, row by row (which she said never gets “put away”). All things Mrs. Clause-like baking and dessert in the kitchen. Just incredible. And the stories to go with it all…. Simply amazing and beautiful. I even got some insight on where they purchase(d) some things. They said they haven’t really bought anything new in a few years. Which is wild because I keep seeing new stuff! Hehe
I’m so thankful for her kindness in inviting us into their home. It’s practically been considered the “North Pole” to me since I was a teenager. And the only reason this opportunity occurred is because members of our family chose to share our Christmas tradition as a gesture of thanks; to bring a moment of peace, love, and kindness to this very selfless couple.
Thank you Terry & Linda. We look forward to coming by again next year. And if the time ever comes that you need help setting up, I’ll be happy to help.
Hi Mom! We miss you, but know you were there with us! See ya when we get there!