The Carter's Christmas Curation

Mon, 12/13/2021 - 9:22am — Amber McIntosh

In an unassuming home on Brownsville Road, you will find one of the most extensive collections of Santas I have ever seen. You are instantly greeted by a Christmas wonderland when you enter the home. Santas adorn the living room, the mantle, the tree, and even the table settings are Santa themed right down to every detail, including the napkin rings.

The Carter family has curated a massive Santa collection for over twenty-nine years. Beginning with the birth of their son, they bought an animatronic Santa each year, and from that moment, their collection began to grow more and more.

They own close to 2000 pieces, including 29 animatronic units that sing, dance, parachute, and read stories. Not only is the collection itself impressive, but the stories behind each piece and the couple's genuine love for the holiday icon. One must wonder how the Carters put this collection together. These items were curated via a combination of yard sale finds, stores, gifted, and sent from fellow online Santa collector's groups. As you can see in the pictures, the figurines range in size from merely an inch to life-size pieces.

The proud curators of this massive collection are Dianna and Greg Carter. The coup de grace is what they call the "Santa Room." One entire bedroom in their home is floor-to-ceiling Santas that are on display year-round. Previously, the pieces were incorporated throughout the whole décor of the house only during Christmas. They were stored in about twenty-four totes and would take a couple of days to unpack and display.

However, once the family that had lived with them moved out, they turned the spare room into a permanent fixture that could house their collection year around rather than returning them to storage. When asked what they would do when they ran out of space, with a grin, Mr. Carter said that he would start another room but also advised that there was still plenty of room to add more to their current location.

You can't help but smile the entire time you are in their home. Dianna and Greg were the best hosts, answering all my questions about their collection, their story, and even letting me love their two furbabies. With the last few years that our world has experienced, meeting a couple like the Carter's was so uplifting that they welcome the joy of Christmas into their home year-round.