Millie Frosst loves to decorate. The Digby woman has seven Christmas trees in her two-bedroom home—a tree for her mother, a tree for her dog, a tree for her daughter, a tree for her grandchildren, a tree for her music and a couple more just ‘cause.
She has a half-dozen stockings, some of them high heel stockings, hanging in her bedroom. One count put the number of angels on her trees at over 200.
Lace and ribbons and rhinestones, figurines and dolls, garlands and baubles cover almost every inch of the interior of her home.
Even her dog Lacey wears a special holiday dress.
“I just love Christmas,” says Frosst. “Christmas is like the first time you fall in love and your heart is beating right out of your chest.”
She starts her Christmas decorating on Sept. 1 and most of it is in place for October. Taking it down in March she says is much quicker. It takes her about a day and a half and everything has to be packed away just so.
“And then I count the days until September. I just can’t wait to get it all out again.”
Every decoration has a story for Frosst. It was either a gift from someone special or is intended to remind her of someone.
The tree in her bedroom, for example, is dedicated to her mother Rose—it is covered in pink and red Victorian roses and rhinestones—all her mother’s “favourites”. High up on the tree is a brooch that reads “Rose”, a brooch her mother always wore.
A great deal of the decorations she says comes from either Frenchies or the Bethany Bin. She stops by every day.
“I don’t understand why people have a stigma about shopping there,” says Frosst. “I could never afford all this otherwise. You don’t need money to be happy.”
Frosst does the decorating with her family and friends in mind. She has 11 grandchildren which she calls her grandangels.
“Everyone who comes her says it looks like a fancy museum,” says Frosst. “I just love it when the grandangels come in and they have those big bright eyes just taking it all in. It is such a warm feeling when you know they love it all. I don’t even think about gifts.”
Frosst says growing up Christmas meant family and that is something she’d like to instill in the children.
“It’s a shame more people don’t let themselves become a child and really celebrate Christmas and enjoy it like they did years ago.”
jriley@digbycourier.ca
