CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Do you happen to remember a few weeks back when we visited a Clarksville house with a pirate ship in their front yard?
That was one family's Halloween decorations. We had to know what they did for Christmas. Turns out, that's quite the story too.
The house on Clarksville's Raven Road is decked out in towering nutcrackers, lights, inflatable snowmen, and far more.
Neighbor Harrison, 9, knows the story of the place.
"Did you make all this stuff by yourself?" I asked him.
"No, Mr. B did," he smiled.
Who's Mr. B? That's homeowner Bionner Puerta.
"I love it," he said, looking over his handiwork. "The kids just start screaming 'YEEEAH!'"
"The whole display takes roughly three weeks to put up," said Bionner's wife, Jennifer Pierce. "It's always, 'did you make all of this?' Yeah. That's why we're called Handmade Holidays on Raven! It's always, 'wow. Wooow!'"
"My neighbor is offering me his yard now, so I'm going to move that way!" Bionner laughed.
It's a team effort. Jennifer decorates, and Bionner's woodworking skills learned from the Army kick in.
"Last year I called him Clark Griswold because that's where we're at at this point," Jennifer said.
"What's your favorite part?" I asked Harrison.
"Probably the sleigh, just for everybody to go take pictures," he answered.
Huge as it all is today, it all started three years ago with a small outdoor Letters to Santa decoration. One morning, neighbor Harrison ran over and dropped a letter in it.
"Do you remember what you were asking Santa for?" I asked him.
"I really liked this book series called 'The Kingdom of Wrenly,'" he answered. "It's about this prince and all the adventures he goes on. He has a pet dragon called Ruskin. I wanted a dragon just like him, and that's what I got from Santa."
That one little letter was enough to inspire Jennifer and Bionner to build their home into basically a new holiday tradition, complete with a bigger box for letters. They work with Santa to answer every one.
"It keeps me busy," Bionner smiled. "I love it!"
That's not all.
"So, last year we decided to start a toy drive," Jennifer continued.
People donate and then kids visiting the decorations get to take a wrapped gift home.
"If it wasn't for the grace of the community donating all those gifts, we couldn't do what we do," Jennifer said.
"So far, we have given over 800 or 900 toys," Bionner added.
It's all so great that it caught the attention of someone who decided to drop in.
A group of children gathered inside Bionner and Jennifer's home as Santa read them 'Twas The Night Before Christmas. Mrs. Claus looked on as the children intently listened.
"I want kids to make memories," Bionner said. "Memories are the thing that last forever. As long as I'm able to do this, I will always have it up. This all started with a letter, one letter. It was Harrison that started with a letter."
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
Another example of how one person can truly make a difference. And the best part - we all can help! As a nurse, Laura handles emergencies every day. But nothing could prepare her for the emergency that brought her hometown to its knees. From her current home in Tennessee, she's mobilizing aid and supplies for Helene survivors and is helping make their recovery easier and their holidays brighter. I hope you take a moment to watch her story - you might even feel inspired to lend a helping hand.
-Rebecca Schleicher
