By Sara Quam
Christmas and Carol just go together. Like Easter and bunny or chips and salsa.
Carol Hoogeveen, Luverne, has amassed a Christmas decoration collection that would make all of Santa's elves proud.
"People might think I'm crazy, but I like them," Hoogeveen said.
She's been collecting Christmas decorations, mostly ornaments, for about 40 years. "People say they could spend a lot of time walking through here and miss a lot," she said.
Art and Carol Hoogeveen's house at 514 N. Spring Street greets people from the street or sidewalk with Christmas cheer.
"So many people comment on the things in the windows," Hoogeveen said.
The front porch windowsills are covered with Christmas decorations facing outward and a large tree anchors the room.
That tree has many older ornaments that hold special meaning for Hoogeveen. Some are from her mother's tree, and some were gifts from family or friends years ago.
"When I take one out I remember who gave it to me or where I got it," she said. "But I've never met an ornament I didn't like. I just get a kick out of them."
While ornaments are her favorite Christmas collectible, garlands, small trees, Santas, angels and snowmen fill the house.
Some of the trees have themes. There's a Disney and Barbie tree, a snowman tree, a cardinal tree, a Santa tree, a nativity and crismon tree, Hershey's and Campbell's trees, a tree with Peanuts and Winnie the Pooh characters, and an angel tree. There's even a seven-foot tree in an upstairs bedroom that's decorated entirely with Precious Moments.
The biggest tree is 9 1/2 feet tall and sits in the dining room. That's covered in Hallmark collectible ornaments except for the angel at the top.
There are some miniature trees interspersed with the larger ones with ribbons and lights or flowers, birds and berries.
Storage space for all the ornaments is organized for faster decorating and packing. Hoogeveen used to put each ornament in its original box but changed to using bubble wrap after Art spent five hours unpacking Hallmark ornaments for decorating one year.
She shops at craft shows and Hallmark gift shops for most of her ornaments and decorations, but some are also gifts. She finds many good deals at the after-Christmas sales.
"I always try to buy on sale and find a bargain. ... I'm going broke bargain hunting," she said with a laugh.
Because she collects so many name-brand ornaments, it might appear that she has a too-refined taste. But Hoogeveen said she just enjoys Christmas and all the fun that comes with it. She truly likes all the ornaments - even the milkweed pod painted to look like a snowman.
"There are so many unique ornaments. I like them all," she said.
