Santa Claus isn’t the only one delivering Christmas cheer this holiday season. A few years ago, Grapevine resident Louie Murillo began buying decorative Santas in bulk for another one of his festive family Christmas card photos. One Santa led to another, and that’s when he got the bright idea to adorn his home all in the name of giving back. With the support of neighbors and friends, his holiday displays at 3373 Spruce Lane have raised over $58,000 for GRACE Grapevine’s Christmas Cottage. This month, Louie is setting his fundraising sights even higher for his holiday home.
EVERY YEAR, MY FAMILY AND I... would come up with a crazy idea for a Christmas card and go all out with the costumes and theme. Our first was a 1950s vintage Christmas card with an ‘I Love Lucy’ look. One year we reenacted ‘A Christmas Story.’ Another year, we did the elf on a shelf. It’s always just been a creative outlet — a fun way to do a Christmas card that wasn’t basic.
RIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS IN 2019... I found some plastic Santas and bought 20 of them, thinking that I might somehow incorporate them into the Christmas card next year. When I started working from home the following year, I started buying more and more Santas. It was just that addiction of one more.
IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE... our attic was filled with Santas. And then we filled our second attic with Santas. Then we filled our game room with Santas. We had to get a storage unit, then after we maxed that out, we had to get a second one. There’s got to be over 1,000 Santas. I don’t really have a count because I just kept buying them.
I CAME UP WITH THE IDEA TO... do this big Santa display, but I knew it had to be more than a display — it had to be an opportunity to help the community. There were a lot of people going through hardships during that time, a lot of people that weren’t working or were under-resourced. We decided to partner with GRACE Grapevine and make it an opportunity to give to the Christmas Cottage.
OUR ORIGINAL GOAL STARTED AT... $20,000. When I told GRACE what we wanted to raise, they were not sure if it was possible. We ended up raising $58,518 instead.
THERE WAS A LOT OF... prep work that was needed ahead of time. I needed to convert every single Santa to LED to make sure they were energy-efficient. I also did a lot of clear coating, to make sure each one of them kept from fading. As for [displaying them], a lot of volunteers and family members jumped in and were ready to help. We got everything up and running in about a day and a half.
ONCE WE OPENED... it up to the community, it went on full explosion. We got bigger and bigger, to the point where traffic started packing our street. My wife even had trouble trying to pull in [the driveway]. It was just the right thing for the community at the right time.
AFTERWARDS, I VISITED... the Christmas Cottage and saw people picking out presents for their kids. It was a cool experience to see the people who wouldn’t have been able to have a big Christmas and give them a little bit more of a blessing.
THIS YEAR’S SANTA HOUSE WILL... run through Christmas. We’ll have three ways to donate — giving cash on-site in a mailbox, a Venmo going directly to GRACE and a GoFundMe people can access online. Our goal this year is $70,000 — $35,000 on-site, and $35,000 in matching sponsors.
THE BEST PART ABOUT THE SANTA HOUSE IS... being out here at night and connecting with the kids. You can see the excitement it brings them in the glow of their eyes. It makes it even more special knowing that we’re impacting children in this community who are under-resourced this holiday season. It’s all about the kids either way, both the ones that experience it in person and the ones who are going to be blessed by it for Christmas.