When Amanda Graziano and her fiancé, Stacia Jo Hill, won the Columbia Police Department’s “Best Halloween Decorations” award, it was a surprise to them but few others. Graziano and Hill are well known for their extravagant holiday décor.
“It was completely unexpected, especially since this is just something that we don’t do for contest purposes. We love brightening people’s days and nights. To add a contest in was truly just an added experience to be involved with the community that we love so much,” Amanda said.
Stacia agreed, saying that she appreciates the police for holding the contest. “The contest itself was absolutely wonderful. I would like to add that the police department putting that on was an amazing touch to add to our community.”
The couple do not only decorate for Halloween, but Fourth of July, St. Patrick’s Day, even Labor Day.
“We always try to add something for each holiday. We never want to miss a holiday… we want to honor everyone,” they said.
Their favorite, however, is undoubtedly Christmas.
“We just love everything about (Christmas). There’s no question. (We love) to see the children light up when we have a new item from last year’s décor,” Amanda said.
Part of why Hill loves Christmas so much is that she says her family would often decorate with as many as eight trees.
“As early as I can remember,” Hill said,” we would be decorating the weekend of Thanksgiving with a huge decorating party. I would definitely say my parents decorating led to my love for it now. We were definitely the most decorated home in our neighborhood. People would call our home ‘Macy’s.’”
Meanwhile, Amanda says her appreciation for Christmas “grew inside of (her) on (her) own.
There is, however, another reason it is their favorite.
“We met in the holiday season, too,” Graziano said. “And I happened to find someone who loved the holidays just as much as I did—in fact, more—and then it just took off.”
While decorating is a love both of them share and it provides them a way to spend time together, that does not mean the process is easy. Getting their house up to Clark Griswold-standard takes plenty of time and planning on Hill and Graziano’s parts.
In fact, putting up their now-legendary Christmas lights and yard ornaments can take upwards of two weekends. For Hill (who is a PE teacher in addition to being the head girls’ basketball coach at Adair County High School) and Graziano (a nurse), their schedules stay busy. Two weekends’ worth of decking the halls is a commitment.
And this still only tells part of the story. Setting up their decorations does not include the time it takes to get them, which can be an all-year process. No matter the season, Graziano and Hill are constantly on alert to find new items to add to their annual Christmas display—particularly anything Grinch-related, as Hill says that is Graziano’s favorite holiday movie.
“We (also) look at Pinterest and TikTok every year to see what new and whimsical items people have that we can build that the kids can enjoy,” Graziano said.
Even with all of the work, the two feel their efforts are worth it.
“The amount of people that tell me at the school, ‘We have to take a separate route in the mornings during the holiday seasons to drive past your home to see your decorations,’ is unreal. And that’s why we do it. We love to hear how it brightens kids’ faces to see our inflatable Frankenstein, or Turkey Tom, or how they love our gingerbread house,” Hill said.
By Kenley Godby
kenley@adairvoice.com
