His Huntington Beach home still has one Santa, plus (at least) 499 more – Orange County Register

Don’t pay attention to the fir trees that are no longer green and brittle by the roadside, or the dark porches where the colorful lights used to sparkle.

Christmas isn’t over yet – at least not for 88-year-old Jack Carey.

Year-round, the entire lower floor of Carey’s two-story Huntington Beach home is filled with holiday cheers. Rosy puts a smile on Santa’s cheeks from every surface. Socks are still on display. And don’t even think about parking on a sofa or chair; Reindeer and elves require those spaces.

Ornamental Christmas trees grace living rooms, alcoves, foyers – even garages. From morning to night, seasonal music – “Silent Night”, “Silver Bells”, “Deck the Halls” – gently wafts through the corridors.

“Look at this little dog!” Carey was engrossed, intently pointing out a ceramic vase wearing a Santa hat. Anyone can guess why he picked that particular protest item from a very crowded field.

It all started with a jigsaw puzzle that Carey completed 10 years ago, not long after his wife passed away.

A friend gave Carey a puzzle that featured the famous chandelier from the classic holiday comedy “Christmas Story.” Once finished, Carey glued her masterpiece together and hung it over the top.

A hobby was born. Since that fateful beginning, Carey has conquered and preserved more than 1,000 jigsaw puzzles (just some of them for the holiday), pinning them side-by-side to the walls and ceiling.

But he didn’t stop there. Carey finds herself adding – and adding and adding – all sorts of Christmas-themed stuff.

“My home is my castle, so I can do whatever I want,” Carey announced cheerfully. “It’s so cozy here.”

His wife won’t approve.

“Shirley would go crazy if she saw this,” admitted Carey. “She’s very precise about her house.”

Shirley Carey, Huntington Beach City School District Commissioner for 21 years, died in 2011 of complications from cancer.

The overflowing decor makes Jack Carey’s empty home warm and fuzzy. So are his two beloved cats, real ones mingling with loads of plush animals.

Carey said after the first Christmas he spent without Shirley, he left his tree behind, adding, “Things just grew from there.”

From an early age, Carey’s three children fell in love with their father’s newfound passion for Christmas play sets. Five years ago, they successfully persuaded him to clear the scandal.

“I guess they wanted my house to look more normal,” he said.

So at the time, Carey gave all the St. Nicks, windbreakers and red ribbed teddy bears for an orphanage in Mexico.

Carey said: “A couple walked by and cleaned the whole house. “I am so glad the kids will enjoy my collection.”

But for Carey, an environment without Santa is simply an empty crate. Before long, alternate Santas were added and little by little, all the other doodles were blooming again.

Carey counts about 500 of what he calls “Santa Claus and Friends.” That ballpark number – low, perhaps, for his kids – seems to be at least 500 more.

With round two, Carey’s kids are getting a bolder look at the winter wonderland of their childhood home.

Daughter Jennifer Farias, 43, a kindergarten teacher in Sacramento, said: “When we saw him starting to come back, we were like, ‘Oh, it’s back.

“Oh, that’s dad. Whatever makes him happy. He was just there alone, doing his thing. “

Besides, she said, her two children love to discover the treasures of Grandpa.

However, she is still worried about the dolls that are placed on each step of the stairs. “I told him they were a tripping hazard,” Farias said. “But he just said, ‘I’ve been walking these stairs for 50 years.'”

Carey buys her second hand from local thrift stores.

“All the women at the Assistance League store knew him,” Farias said. “They put things that they thought he would enjoy keeping for him.”

It’s no surprise that her father’s love for Christmas has returned. Carey grew up in Bellaire, Ohio, to Catholic parents who worshiped holiday traditions – albeit much more modest.

After serving in the Army during the Korean War, Carey followed his brother to Los Angeles, where he met his bride. He and his wife moved into their permanent home in 1969.

Carey has had a variety of careers – from quality control engineer McDonnell Douglas to real estate broker, aged 62 to 80, driving limo for the rich and famous. But he’s equally proud of his volunteer work, especially his role as (yes) Huntington Beach’s Santa.

For several years, Carey joined the Huntington Beach Pier Polar Plunge on New Year’s Day, In full Santa Claus costume, of course.

Farias remembers that they were the fun home of the neighborhood during the holidays.

“We had big light shows, big parties. Christmas is always an exciting time for us.”

To this day, Carey is “excited” to share the gifts, Farias said: “He shops all year to find the perfect gift.” Most, like his decorations, come from thrift stores.

After spending this past Christmas in Sacramento with Farias and her family, Carey never distributed the gifts he had bought to his two sons and their children. The carefully wrapped gifts still lay in a spacious pile in his garage.

“I think I’ll leave them here until next year,” Carey said. “No one will miss them.”

His kids might scratch their heads over his 365 days a year fascination with Christmas, but that’s okay.

Carey said: “When anyone says that, I say, ‘Did you realize that 90% of my life is in my rearview mirror? “. “I must have some fun.”