Christmas Open House

Event Details

Christmas Open House to Benefit Hurricane Sandy Victims Sunday, December 9, 2012, 1 - 8 pm

The McCormick family is pleased to invite the community to their first ever Community Open House between 1 and 8 pm on Sunday, December 9, 2012. Over 150 Christmas trees inside and outside the family home will be decorated with over 15,000 lights to celebrate the Christmas season. The McCormicks have been decorating their home, located at 153 Route 526, Allentown, NJ 08501, since building it in 2004, but this is the first time they have invited everyone to stop by for a look inside. Admission is free, but donations of toys, decorations and Christmas gift items will be accepted for "Operation Jersey Shore Santa," which is working to bring Christmas to families trying to rebuild and recover from the hurricane. (For a full list of items, please see www.operationjerseyshoresanta.org), Monetary donations will also be accepted, 100% of which will go to the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund established by Governor Christie, and chaired by New Jersey First Lady Mary Pat Christie. This holiday season will, unfortunately, be a very difficult one for many New Jerseyans because of the storm, and the McCormicks felt the open house might be one small way they could help the recovery effort.

Friends have said the family runs "the home for wayward Christmas trees," rescuing trees and other decorations from garage sales and landfills, and then refurbishing them for use in their Christmas extravaganza. Assembly of the display begins after Labor Day, but no Christmas decorations go up until after the family has celebrated Thanksgiving. The next day, the "great migration" of boxes, trees, and lights has everyone on the move to put the decorations in place in time for a host of December events for family and friends. The home is easily reached from I-195 Exit 8 by following the sign for Allentown, and making the first left onto the Route 526 bypass, followed by another first left onto Route 526 East. Number 153 is approximately 2 miles from the Interstate exit and is hard to miss during the Christmas Season! The McCormicks hope you will be able to join them to share in their family tradition, and support those in our community trying to recover from Hurricane Sandy. For more information, please call (609) 208-9991.