By Peyton Dickerson, Staff Writer
Myriad lights, Nativity scenes, countless Christmas ornaments and a luminescent sleigh perched over the yard: It’s no wonder children and adults alike glow with excitement in anticipation of strolling through the Outer Banks’ beloved “Christmas House.”
The charming home in Kill Devil Hills, owned by Jim Poulos, has attracted families from near and far for years. And the home remains a bright spot this year despite a dark time for the Poulos family.
Christmas has always been a special time for Poulos. As a child, he grew up with a father in the military, in a family that didn’t have a lot of money. Christmas was the season when Poulos and his siblings would receive necessities, such as school supplies and clothing, making the holiday incredibly important to their family.
“Each year, come Christmastime, they provided us with what we needed,” Poulos said. “Christmas was for the children.”
As Poulos grew older, a unique experience allowed him to display his deep love for the holiday in the form of decorations. Poulos was an employee for a 7-Eleven convenience store during the 1970s’ energy crisis when there was a gas shortage. Due to the crisis, Poulos’ 7-Eleven and many other places stopped selling Christmas lights due to extremely low demand.
One day, Poulos was directed by his supervisor to write off all of the lights and dispose of them in the dumpster.
“I asked (the supervisor), ‘Once I go to the dumpster, can I get them out?’ ” Poulos recalled.
Poulos obtained about 50 boxes of Christmas lights, sparking the idea to cover his house with them for the holiday season. In 1979, Poulos and his wife moved onto Chowan Street in Kill Devil Hills and initiated the decorating process.
“We lit the house on Chowan, and you could see the glow from the Wright Memorial,” Poulos said.
In 1980, Poulos and his wife moved to Ocean Acres Drive in Kill Devil Hills, where he continued to display his festive decor year after year. As the number of decorations on the house increased, so did the turnout of visitors. Many people would come by and gaze at the house with their families, getting enlightened by the Christmas joy surrounding them. The reaction the Pouloses received from their visitors truly brought them happiness.
“When you take a 95-year-old man that has tears in his eyes because he’s never seen anything like it, that means you’re doing something,” Poulos said.
The family continued to decorate every year and continued to draw in smiling faces. Every year the lights were put out, new reactions were reeled in.
“The smiles on children’s faces and the joy in their eyes is amazing,” said Poulos’ son-in-law, Dennis Mueller. “That’s why we light it up.”
Despite all of the joy, a wave of sorrow arrived in recent years at the Christmas House. Poulos lost his wife, Ann, to cancer this past August after a lengthy battle with the disease. Ever since the tragic loss, the once fun and lively decorating process has turned into a team effort from Poulos’ family.
“Normally we start decorating in August, but we got a late start because of the passing,” said Poulos’ daughter, Caitlin Liebno. “We still have stuff that needs to be put up.”
Although the task of living up to Ann Poulos’ decorating skills seemed daunting for Liebno, she knew the tradition must continue.
“We’re doing this in her memory,” Liebno said. “We know it’s making her happy.”
Since Ann’s death, questions about the future of the Christmas House were raised by students and others in the community. But volunteers have put forth an effort to continue the tradition by coming together to help with the process.
“I know the Christmas season was always really special for him and his wife,” sophomore Skyler Scheel said. “Next year after the Halloween season I would like to get some different sponsors and volunteers to come help him.”
Poulos wants to do everything he can to keep the house up each year. With the help of his family, friends and the community, the decorations will continue to go up in memory of Ann.
“My wife would’ve wanted the lights up, so I’ll keep them up,” Poulos said.
With the house having played such a special part in so many people’s Christmas traditions, the thought of losing the chance for that quick drive-by viewing or pleasant stroll through the yard is a dark one.
“It’s something that all of the locals can look forward to,” junior Perry Ellis said. “It’s good to see all of the hard work the Pouloses have put into the house. If it wasn’t there, it would be a sad loss.”
Instead, those who come together to help decorate the Christmas House are displaying what the spirit of Christmas can really be. Let the holiday cheer commence.
Sophomore Peyton Dickerson can be reached at 21dickersonpe28@daretolearn.org.
