Alabama Woman's "Santa Museum" Holds More Than 3,500 Santa Clauses
“I’ll never stop doing this kind of cheer.”
When it comes to Christmas cheer, Anita Jones' house could give the North Pole a run for its money.
"I'm 84 years old and I still believe in Santa Claus," Jones told Good Morning America during a recent tour of her Alabama home.
The retired registered nurse from Huntsville has a collection of more than 3,500 Santa Clauses. Big or small, old or new—if it's related to Kris Kringle, Jones has at least one of them. She even has a whole wall of Santa Claus salt and pepper shakers.
"I can't stop buying 'em!" Jones tells GMA. "I say, 'I'm not going to get any more,' but forget that."
Jones received her first Sant (a little bell) in 1955 and has been collecting them ever since.
But it's not just about the joy the Santas bring her—which is plenty. For Jones, after six decades as a nurse, it's also about spreading cheer to those who need it no matter the time of year.
"When I hear of somebody that isn't doing well—cancer or depressed—I call 'em. Usually, their family will bring them over and they go through my Santa Clauses, and they cry, and they go home and decorate their house," she explained to GMA. "That means a lot to me so share that kind of cheer. I'll never stop doing this kind of cheer. And my children won't either."
Now that's what we call the Christmas spirit.