Step into Donna Houser’s house at Christmastime, and it’s like a trip through history and around the world.
You’ll find four tiny, angelic Christmas choir boys and plastic reindeer toys from the 1940s, still in pristine condition.
There’s a tiny plastic manger scene, a gift her late-husband, Ray, bought the first year they were married. It’s quite a contrast with other presents from Ray over the years, such as the Waterford crystal statues of Santa and an angel bought during a trip to Waterford, England.
“Now, you won’t believe this, but Ray thought I was an angel,” Donna said as if she were telling a secret, then laughed. “He always said, ‘You’re my angel,’ so he bought this angel for me.”
Ray and Donna liked to travel, and they often bought Christmas ornaments and decorations during their visits. Donna is allergic to many types of fabrics and chemicals, which makes it difficult for people to buy Christmas gifts for her. Makeup, jewelry, clothes — none of that makes a good gift.
But Christmas decorations? She loves them. So, that’s what she got from all of her family, friends and former students from her teaching days.
For years and years, Christmas came with Christmas-themed gifts. Thousands of them. During the off-season, they’re boxed and stacked in every closet, every storage area, every nook and cranny of the house.
And each Christmas, she pulls them out and sets up elaborate displays.
Donna, now 85, remembers the story behind most of them. 
THE CHOIR boys are among the most special.
They were a gift from her parents during the early days of World War II, before the U.S. joined the fight and during the Great Depression. It was a difficult time, and her family was poor enough that her mother made clothes for the three children out of feed sacks.
“I never knew Christmas was supposed to be fancy,” Donna recalled.
“My folks bought me two things, those four choir boys and a Santa. I still have them. Christmas decorations seemed to be something you could afford and you could buy, because everything else was rationed.”
WALK INTO the den of Donna’s house and you’ll see Santas from around the world lining the fireplace mantel. More hang from a Christmas tree, including a corncob Santa bought at The Corn Palace in South Dakota. Each room has a theme, and this is the Santa room.
Even the bathrooms are decorated for Christmas. Cheerful snowmen welcome guests in the bathroom. Angels adorn a guest bedroom.
