Haun gets an early jump on creating Christmas spirit

Halloween may have just ended and Thanksgiving now looms, but many people like to get a jump on building up Christmas excitement. For one Millersburg resident, that time is now.

As October gave way to November, Millersburg resident Jeremiah Haun began breaking all of his Christmas decor out of storage, and by Saturday, Nov. 2, Haun had both his front yard and his home aglow with enough Christmas lights to get the electricity meter humming at a pretty fair pace.

“This is the itch I have to wait for patiently every year,” Haun said. “Halloween is done Oct. 31 at midnight, and I turn my attention to Christmas because it is absolutely my favorite season.”

Haun purchased the home from his grandparents Ron and Marcia Schie in Millersburg a couple months ago, and after always being enthralled when his grandpa would put up the Christmas lights each holiday season, he wanted to carry on the tradition.

“Grandpa used to decorate the house big time when I was a kid, and I used to just stare out the window for hours on end at all of the lights and decorations,” Haun said, “although I might say that I may be getting a little more out of hand than he did. But I knew when I was buying the house that this was going to be a tradition, and I was going to go bigger than Grandpa ever did because I love getting Christmas started in a big way.”

Haun said adding to the Christmas collection is something he continues to do, purchasing seasonal items whenever and wherever he can find a deal on something that attracts his attention.

Between Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus, a nutcracker, trees and his favorite, the train, Haun has filled his yard with enticing lights for the season. Inside the house the glow of Christmas is present as well, complete with an enormous Christmas tree in the front window. He said there are six trees throughout the house.

“I love it all,” Haun said. “It’s a family tradition, a real labor of love, and it takes a lot of work, but it’s well worth it, and I picture Grandma and Grandpa looking down on it with a smile.”

Haun said the entire process of assembling Christmas Central at his home took only one day to create, although it was a pretty intense day of work with his aunt chipping in.

He said he gets a head start on the inside of the house prior to Halloween, noting it is pretty much decked out for the Christmas season before the Great Pumpkin arrives.

The entire collection of Christmas cheer will now remain in place until the new year begins, at which time he will disassemble the entire collection and place it back into storage, where it will wait for 10 months until it gets to shine again.

Until that time Haun will bask in the glow of Christmas, although he knows countless other people also will get a warm feeling of joy passing by and checking out the lights.

He said he hopes by putting up his décor this early that he will inspire others to do likewise, and he said he also hopes it will create cheer and goodwill in people’s lives.

“I hope this lifts people’s spirits like it does mine,” Haun said. “I’m kind of shocked how many people have already commented on it. I’m glad to bring some light and joy to people’s lives during a time when we need it. We need everything we can get to brighten people’s lives, and the Christmas spirit always makes me happy, so I hope I can share that joy with others.”