Burley Family Brightens Holidays With Their Indoor & Outdoor Decorations
By Dianna Troyer
Bobbi Fox’s home is ablaze with Christmas cheer, both indoors and outdoors.
“We do every room in the house except the pantry,” the 77-year-old Burley resident says.
For Bobbi and her daughter and son, decorating is a weeklong celebration and family tradition. It started nearly 6 decades ago when her children were young.
Residents from Minidoka and Cassia counties count on the family’s Christmas cheer at 130 Dennis Circle. It takes 4 days to decorate every room and about 2 days to complete the yard, Bobbi says
The work pays off, though. From the living room window, Bobbi can see holiday celebrants driving by her home to stop and take photos.
As the family works, they reminisce about those who have died and talk about their loved ones who seem to linger in the decorations.
“My mom crocheted every 1 of those 25 snowflakes,” Bobbi says as she points to a wall in the living room. “Christmas was my husband’s favorite holiday. Walter loved the Precious Moments figurines, so he designed and built wooden replicas of them for the front yard.”
Since he died in 2006, Bobbi says they have cut back a little bit with decorating.
“Along the ceiling in every room, we used to hang garland and put a bulb in the middle,” she says, “but we don’t do that anymore.”
Friend Susan Tuft looks forward to touring the home every year and always manages to see something new.
“The 1st glimpse as you walk in the home is a train track and cars set up on a large round table,” Susan says. “Toy trains probably bring out the little kid in all of us, and this scene conjures up a child’s Christmas excitement and anticipation, no matter your age.”
Bobbi’s daughter, Becky, says she looks forward to the family tradition and is fond of the villages they put up on 2 6-foot-long banquet tables and another 3-foot-long table, each with a different theme.
Among her favorite decorations are small pieces depicting characters from television Christmas movies about Rudolph and Frosty.
“They put a lot of life into our villages,” Becky says. “Some decorations are only sold for a year, so if there’s a little something we like to add to our collection, we buy it. We usually add something small every year. This year outside, we added flower pots that light up and a Grinch.”
Some of Bobbi’s most treasured decorations are keepsakes from 2 Disney cruises the family took.
“You can’t help but have a great time on a Disney cruise,” she says.
1 special souvenir displayed year-round reminds Bobbi of her family’s vacations: the beloved fairy Tinker Bell with a motto printed on her base, “Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust.”
Christmas is not the only holiday that compels Bobbi and her family to adorn their home. After the December decorations are put away during the 1st week of January, it’s time for the next seasonal celebration.
“We have decorations for Easter, Halloween and Thanksgiving, too, to make ourselves and others smile,” Bobbi says.