Community Corner
House Is All Christmas From the Inside Out
Dazzling outdoor display gives a clue to what's inside.
Many people driving by the in Lorton see all of the Christmas lights and decorations on the lawn and porch, but not many people see all of the unique and beautiful decorations on the inside of the home.
Terry McCreary and his wife, Maria, began collecting Christmas trinkets after they got married 24 years ago. They started off small, with one Christmas tree and a six-house Christmas village. Now they have three large trees, about 500 Santa figurines and an enormous village in the basement.
"We've been collecting Christmas stuff for a long time," said McCreary. "It's enjoyable to set up."
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It takes McCreary about three weeks to arrange all of the items inside the home. The Christmas village is displayed in the basement, which is set up on multiple tables with fake snow dusting the small buildings. Many of the buildings turn on and emit some kind of sound, movement or light. There is even black fabric tacked up behind the buildings to give the effect of a cloudless night sky.
Many of the items are unusual and one of a kind; McCreary collected several pieces while traveling the world and doing PR for the U.S. Navy. One of the Santa busts is from Turkey and is made of meerschaum; some of the carved wood Santas are from Russia. A set of Nativity pieces made from olive wood from Israel. A few of the Santa and Nativity figurines are made from clay from the Nile River. One of the Santa figurines is actually a light bulb from the 40's, and it still works.
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A particularly unique item hangs in the hallway, and has a special significance to McCreary. It is a Christmas tree made out of costume jewelry arranged on velvet. The jewelry belonged to McCreary's grandmother, who was a costume jeweler and T's aunt assembled the tree.
Even the artwork hanging on the walls has a personal and holiday touch. One of the paintings hanging in the sitting room depicts Santa carrying a large bag of toys and the nice list, which includes the names of the McCreary family (such as the dog, Alaska) in miniscule writing.
"Christmas is my favorite holiday and collecting the items is a personal hobby," said McCreary.
