It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas in the Winder home, and it
will most likely stay that way for a few months.
Faye Winder of rural Beresford has collected many special Christmas
items over the years. Once she gets them all in place throughout her sixbedroom farm home, she likes to enjoy them for as long as possible.
“No joke, it’s literally a miracle if I have it all down by April,†she
said. “I have a picture of my son and my dad, who share a birthday in
March, sitting at the dining room table blowing out their candles with
Christmas stockings in the background. I usually take the tree down but
leave everything else up until I decide to do my spring cleaning.â€
Although Faye has many decorations, she doesn’t overdo it. Each
room has a theme and the items seem to fit nicely without overpowering
the beauty of the home itself.
The kitchen is decorated with Santas of all shapes and sizes. There are
Santa snow globes, light-up plastic Santas, Santa smiling from a painting
hanging on the wall, Santa covering the fridge, and Santa salt and pepper shakers.
The dining room is adorned with several antiques Faye has bought at
auctions over the years and a beautiful grandfather clock she purchased
in Germany when she was stationed there with the military.
“I was a private and didn’t have any money, but I so wanted that
clock, so I put it on layaway and paid bit by bit,†she said. “I’ve moved
that clock with me all these years.â€
There is also a beautiful porcelain doll Faye’s mother made sitting in
an antique high chair that is a family heirloom. From the dining room
window hangs a personalized stocking for Faye and her husband, Pete,
and each of her children and their spouses and grandchildren.
“My sister-in-law makes the stockings. It takes her eight hours for
each of them, and she has made about 1,000 over the
years,†she said. “I don’t have a mantel, so the window
has to do.â€
In the living room, Faye has displayed an antique
cradle with family heirlooms tucked inside, including
Pete’s grandfather’s hand mirror and her grandfather’s Bible. The Christmas tree is a 1970s faux
tree with a rotating stand that plays music. The
tree, which she bought for $3, came with the
original ornaments and lights.
“I’ve broken some of the ornaments over the
years, so this year I added a few more that
weren’t original. I don’t use the original lights on
HOME continued on page 20
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HERVOICE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 n 19