Bits ‘n’ Pieces: Battle Ground woman knows how to deck the halls

The Battle Ground home of Dolly Hoisington takes the meaning of “deck the halls” to a whole new level.

“I’ve kind of always been a person that did a lot for Christmas,” she said. “I’m not obsessed or anything; I just have the energy and the ability to store it all.”

For the past 20 years, she’s transformed her home inside and out with Christmas decorations.

“Christmas is such a loving, happy time for everybody.”

Unfortunately, the recent tornado left her outside decorations strewn across her yard.

“It ruined the merry-go-round, Ferris wheel and those light up reindeer,” she said.

She doesn’t plan on replacing the biggest items, since she said, “This was the last year I was going to do it big outside anyway.”

It’s inside of her home that really earns the title of “over the top,” with mountains of “old-time Santas,” snowmen crowding around the fireplace, and a room designated for angels. Even her Christmas tree, decorated with Santas, is a rotating, twirling tree.

“Anything that’s really cute. I like old-time Santas, but they’re not necessarily old Santas,” she stressed.

Santas done in the style of St. Nicholas, with their capes and long beards, appeal more to Hoisington.

“They remind me of Christmas,” she said.

She guesses that she probably has close to 500 different Santas, filling every single room in her 2,500-square-foot home.

“In fact, even in the spare bedroom, the closet is decorated,” said Hoisington.

There’s even a Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus out in the garage.

“I also have reindeer, rocking horses, snowmen, gingerbread type things, a whole lot of different kind of stuff.”

It takes two weeks to decorate everywhere, pulling from more than 155 containers, tubs, totes and bags, she said.

“I start taking everything down around Halloween, and putter at it through November.”

Now retired, Hoisington was the owner of a mortgage company in Battle Ground. She also spends much of her time working for the local PTA as president. Her husband, Duane, passed away nine years ago.

“He was an all-around fantastic guy,” she said.

He was a homebuilder well known in Battle Ground, and the two of them built the current home in Meadow Glade.

“My daughter was watching a television show about people obsessed with Christmas, and she says, ‘Mom, I’m watching this show, and you have so much more and so much nicer (displays),’ ” said Hoisington.

One of her biggest set-ups is her Christmas village, filled with animated pieces and illuminated buildings, that rises on “snow”-covered mountains from multiple tables. It has multiple skating rinks, a Santa’s workshop, animated skiers, skaters, a toy factory, trains, casino and many villagers.

“I usually go through 100 to 200 AA batteries,” she said.

And most, if not all of her decorations are bargain finds from garage sales and thrift stores.

“When you don’t need stuff, (that’s) when you find stuff at garage sales,” she said.

Her home is also notable for the old-fashioned street lamps dotting the lawn. They’re originally from the Jantzen Beach mall in Portland, given new life after the mall was rebuilt in 1996. They stand 13 feet tall, decorated in garland and ribbons.

“I decorate for all the holidays, just not like I do for Christmas,” said Hoisington.

Except for Thanksgiving, since the Christmas rush starts early.

“For me, this is kind of ordinary.”

She equated all the decorations to living with “a whole heck of a lot of people” during the month of December. And she keeps a few Christmas decorations — the collectors’ items, the biggest Santa — out all year-round. But perhaps the best part is seeing her house in an entirely new light, when most of the decorations return to storage after New Year’s.

“When I take it all down and put it all away, it’s like a brand new house,” she said, “My house feels so big.”

Bits ‘n’ Pieces appears Fridays and Saturdays. If you have a story you’d like to share, email bits@columbian.com.