Tag: Christmas
Christmas Eve 1998
This year was the biggest display of all as we actually decorated under the steps. We added Styrofoam insulation to the wall where the doorway is to under the steps and painted them to look like bricks by using masking tape and spray painting very lightly so as not to completely dissolve the Styrfoam.
Once underneath the steps we had more Christmas displays, but you could not walk all the way through, you had to turn around at the end because you would come out at the washing machines which really do not invoke the Christmas spirit.
Many more Styrofoam items this year including a ferris wheel.
City Beautification Award for Christmas Display
For Christmas we setup a display in our front window with an animated life size Santa. This is something we do every year to one extent or another. But this year was special as we added for the first time some icicle lights to the display. We did not really think much more of it, except trying to remember to turn it on at dusk during the holiday season. Someone must have driven by from the city and seen it and they gave us the “City Beautiful Commission Award”.
We were all surprised and enjoyed our little token of fame, even though they spelt the name wrong, it was still a very nice sentiment from city hall.
The letter said they were going to have a run off of all the houses and a winner would be announced in the paper, but since we were never contacted we assumed it wasn’t us that won the overall prize.
Christmas 1997
The Christmas display is now encompassing the entire basement. The blue tarp goes completely from one side to another and their are about 70 of the small animated figures. The first animated figure (and most of the others) were bought at Forest City in Taylor. Since then we have gotten them from all over including Ray Hunters and Bronners but by far most came from Forest City each year. Buying them over the years creates a true variety of characters in the display, yet they are all pretty much in scale with each other.
Forest City was Home Depot and Lowes before their was a Home Depot and Lowes and has now vanished from the retail landscape, however its Christmas sales of animatronics is well represented here.
One year as a surprise for Kenny we flew his son in for the Christmas holidays. You can see him here with Criss and Kenny in the picture to the left.
Christmas 1996
Christmas dinner at the Kleibers is a great way to spend the holidays. Once again the entire basement is decorated and this year we had a special guest, Santa Claus.
Dinner was served by Grandma Loretta who waited to get the best ham in Michigan, it was really delicious. Plenty of deviled eggs, pickles, and scallop potatoes rounded out the meal, along with every snack and candy imaginable.
This was about the third party we had here during the Christmas season. So much effort goes into the decorations that we felt we should have multiple parties with friends during the holiday season. Of course the main event will always be Christmas but we certainly got our moneys worth out of the Christmas basement this year.
Christmas 1995
Our Christmas Party is now in its sixth year and has really become a bit of a tradition. This year we have had neighbors and friends over for multiple little parties before the big party on Christmas.
As usual, Mom cooked a huge meal and had two choices of main entree’s which was unique to me. Usually its ham, turkey, or roast beef. At this party we generally have two of the three and sometimes all three. Turkey gets the lowest preference since it is more a Thanksgiving meal.
This is the first year without my father, who past away earlier in the summer. Although he never came down to join the party (he was physically unable to but probably would not even if he was, he enjoyed people coming to see him and showing off his big screen tv). Because he pretty much lived in the living room with a medical bed and such, we began the party downstairs. Now that he passed we are going to continue having the party in the basement since we have more or less designed it around the basement.
1994 Christmas
Christmas time is a big deal in the Kleiber family, it always had been. This year the entire basement was decorated for Christmas with about 50 animatronic carolers, angels, and elves. A full size nativity scene in a wooden manger was one of the main scenes, along with a holiday train display, a trio of angels over a nativity scene, a workshop complete with many elves, and a woodland of decorated Christmas trees with many Christmas figures gracing the landscape.
Blue tarp all around the basement set the backdrop for this Christmas adventure which was certainly inspired by Bronners display. The items that were usually in the basement were placed up against the wall and covered with Christmas lights. On top of the Christmas lights cotton snow was placed, then dozens of small Christmas trees with animatronic characters completed the scene.
Dinner rotated each year between Ham and Roast Beef. Grandma Loretta did not want to use turkey since everyone had some already at Thanksgiving.
Christmas 1993
This year we focused on adding Santas workshop and more elves. We had three already but we added a couple from Bronners which were by far the most expensive things in the display. They don’t even call the elves but they call them sprites. Anyhow they look good in the display.
We also went to a store called Kaufmanns and bought some of the Dicken Village houses from them. This is making our little Christmas village look a little more respectable as we know some collectors do this for decades.
We found a Marley and Scrooge house in the Dickens village and bought the characters including the three ghosts from the story. This is my favorite of the village houses even though it probably is the least Christmas looking of the bunch, it would be more appropriate for a haunted village but I don’t think those exist…yet.
Christmas 1992
We started a third wall, about half, giving us a staple looking display this year. More decorations were added including more full size Christmas Trees. The Christmas trees hanging down from the ceiling are a pain to set up but really look nice. We have to remove the light cover, tie the Christmas tree up, power it from the lightbulb socket using an adapter, then staple the first row of branches to the ceiling. The procedure is reversed after the new year to take them down, also a tedious procedure.
The rest of the display sets up quickly again with the boxes as foundation and blue tarp as background sky. Where we do not have boxes we have to use full size trees or decorations. As the display grows it is getting more difficult to find room for the life size nativity scene, which is really what Christmas is all about. We may end up moving it outside which is really where it belongs since it is an outside blowmold decoration.
Again a very successful party and my mothers idea for a Christmas party at the house is slowly turning into a family tradition.
Christmas 1991
The third Christmas Party once again was at our house and this year we bought even more decorations. Once again we hung tarp up for the background. Anything that was in the basement before was packed up and placed into boxes. These boxes were placed up against the tarp and lights were put over the boxes. The lights were all plugged into power strips placed strategically around the display.
Once again snow was placed on top of the lights and thus we had a complete foundation for the Christmas display. The storage boxes were completely hidden by the lit up snow and looked great against the blue tarp background. From here it was just a matter of adding the animatronics and small Christmas Trees.
The first year we decorated like this we only did one wall of the basement, second year a wall and a half, this year we did that wall and finished the second wall completely which made it into an L shape that really captured a small part of a Bronners look to the display.
Christmas 1990
Once again we had the Christmas party in the basement and Loretta enjoyed cooking a massive feast for everyone.
This year Mark came and we did not know at the time it would be his last Christmas with us. He had a great time and what I remember most was him playing with Pepper, our dog.
Pepper did not get along with everyone, well to be honest she didn’t get along with anyone. She was part schnauzer and part poodle, a mix known as a schnoodle. She would not hesitate to bite someone, although her bite never really hurt. However she got along great with Mark, giving him her paw and doing tricks for him. Mark was always good with animals but getting along with Pepper was rare.
Once again the party was a big success and everyone had a great time. Gifts were exchanged and we also added a couple more animations to the display. We also hung white Christmas trees upside down for the lights, an idea we got from a Christmas store up north near Cadillac MI.
