Long-time Ajijic resident Denny Allison qualifies as a jolly-spirited Christmas fanatic. Over more than two decades of residence he has accumulated a collection of holiday decorations so huge that he and his Mexican wife spend more than three weeks arranging more than 1,500 pieces that adorn practically every inch of their entire west-end abode.
On a tour of the premises this week, the Reporter discovered tidy rows of nutcrackers lined up in the kitchen, scores of snowmen and Santa Claus and Mrs. Santa figures displayed all around the living room, a massive Christmas village scene occupying the entire dining groom, an assortment of Nativity scenes on a small outdoor patio, clusters of stuffed animals on another out in the back, a row of angels placed on the fireplace mantel in the study and four different Christmas standing in different corners.
Allison regularly picks up new items that catch his eye at consignment shops, garage sales and stores, but his most treasured pieces are the ones he received as gifts from close friends who have died or moved away and the Lionel train set he acquired at age 74 to fulfill a childhood dream.
The couple makes a practice of welcoming groups of children from local orphanages for viewings of their astonishing holiday wonderland. Little hands are free to dip into bowls of candies set out to sweeten the visit. They will also open the door to individuals young and old with a hankering for an extreme Christmas experience.