Cherie (Lyson) Mergel, Minot

I would like to thank everyone who has put pictures of the Christmas house (from years ago) with comments on Facebook. I do not have Facebook but a lot of my friends do and they show me. I have many fond memories of that place as I grew up in it and I am presently living there now. My cousin comes over and puts decorations up every year. I hope to have it decorated as long as I live here.

My Dad (Lloyd Lyson) started decorating this house in 1952. We had moved up from a basement to the house. He did it for 50 years. There was 2 years that he never decorated. One year the U.S. President said we had to conserve on electricity and the other year was when he lost his dad and a brother.

My Dad saw an ad in The Minot Daily Newspaper about getting patterns to make Santa and reindeer, glue them to plywood and cut them out. When he made the choir and the organist I painted them. He also made Santa and Reindeer for I. Keating Furniture in Minot and Williston. He also made many more items for this yard.

When my mother passed away he made a new Santa and reindeer and we got the old ones to put up on 17th St. and 2nd Ave. NW, Minot.

My Dad fell off the roof 3 times and never broke a bone in his body.

After the flood they were in a shed and got mostly ruined. My husband was unable to repair them so a lady friend of mine wanted them for her children. I gave them to her but she gave me a card with money but I could not open it until she left. She lives in Mandan, N.D.

If anybody has any print pictures I would like some as my pictures got ruined.

I think the whole town of Minot, N.D., would drive by as one time we had to drive around 5 times and that was when Mom put her hand on the horn.

Everyone have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.