Paynesville Home Transforms into a Winter Wonderland Every Christmas [PHOTOS]

PAYNESVILLE (WJON News) -- A massive holiday display in Paynesville is a labor of love while raising money for a good cause. Chelsea Hartman has been decking out her house on the corner of Spruce Street and Streans Avenue for 10 years. It has over 6,000 lights, the Grinch flying off their roof, a Clark Griswold driving an RV, and a 9-foot-tall Santa.

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Why does she put up the display every year?

Hartman says that her family is trying to remind everyone about the magic of Christmas:

"Christmas is a piece of my heart so when I share this display and when my fiance, we work so hard, and it's the way my kids' eyes light up when we round that corner on Spruce and Stearns, and I want everybody, I want everybody's eyes to just light up and be taken back to that beautiful time in their life, that one awesome memory."

Hartman says it takes hundreds of hours to get everything ready and set up each year.

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She says it started out with just her to honor her grandfather, but it has turned into a family tradition. She says all the thank yous and warm wishes are what keep her going:

"It's my gift to everybody. It is hours of work, and I know my joy in it, so I know that there's others that find that joy and cherish it, and I hear about it, and the ones that are silent, I'm just thankful that they drive by."

Hartman says she just wants people to drive by and feel the love of the season. It is free to stop by and check out everything, but donations are accepted. All donations go towards Racing to End Alzheimer's.

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READ MORE FROM AUTHOR PAUL HABSTRITT