Decking the halls

Garbo said he enjoys putting the decorations up and he enjoys the looks on people's faces when they see them.

But even more importantly, decorating for Christmas is a family tradition at the Garbo house.

Garbo's 6-year-old son, Christopher, is helping him build this year's annual Snow Village. The Snow Village collectibles come in the forms of various homes and buildings.

"My wife, Laurie, and I have made a tradition of buying one new piece each year that depicts something that happened during the year," he said. "The year we were married, we bought the church. The year she became a teacher, we bought the schoolhouse, and the year our son was born we bought the hospital."

The collection has grown so that Garbo takes much of the furniture in the family room out to make way for the Snow Village. He brings in three tables and uses part of the entertainment center on which to build the village.

"It's like an old mid-western town built out of porcelain with a train track running around it," he said.

Garbo said he and his son began building the village three weeks ago and their goal is to finish it by Thanksgiving.

"Then we'll leave it up until the end of January," he said. "We put so much effort into building it, we want to get the full enjoyment out of it."

Garbo also puts lots of lights up outside his house -- about 8,000 to be exact. He sets up a manger scene and has three carolers. He ties a big red bow around the garage door and shines a spotlight on it.

"When we built this home, I designed the outside of the house and the landscaping specifically for decorating for the holidays," he said. "I also decorate the back yard, so we have something to enjoy when we're out back."

Area shops also have plenty of offerings when it comes to holiday decorations.

The aroma from "The Smell of Christmas" potpourri greets those who enter the Mole Hole on Third Street South in the Old Naples shopping district. There is a plethora of Christmas items.

Sales associate Scott Howard said the Christmas Carolers by Byers Choice are a collectible item that are popular with customers. The carolers are dressed in different ways. There's an adult with skis that sells for $60, a fireman for $62 and a schoolteacher for $58, among many others.

"Some people like to buy one that represents each member of the family," he said. "We'll go through a lot of these."

Another popular collectible are holiday-teemed ceramic by Lladro. The pieces are so expensive, they are kept behind glass. There are several Santas ranging in price from $200 to $300 and other figures as well.

A quirky item is the theme-dressed nutcrackers. There's a nutcracker with bagpipes for $225. And there are nutcrackers dressed as the "Wizard of Oz" characters, each costing $342.

"Those wouldn't be for cracking nuts," Howard said. "They're meant for show. If you tried to crack a nut, you'd probably break a piece off."

Also selling quickly are metal firescreens decorated for the holidays, at $190 a piece.

A more inexpensive item is a blue sparkling angel ornament hanging from an ornament stand that can be placed on a living room table. Cost is $25.

To dress up your dining table, there also are many varieties of Christmas serving dishes with matching table centerpieces at a wide range of prices.

At the Christmas Corner in the Coastland Center Mall, near the mall entrance to Burdines, has a dizzying array of decorations.

Some of the prettiest items are on a stand in the center of the store -- acrylic figurines that look like glass (but they aren't as expensive and don't break as easily). There's a stunning angel for $34.99 and a snowman with a blue hat and scarf. A family of four snowmen costs $49.99.

For 16.99 there is a nightlight with a candle extending from a Santa's head.

A favorite seller has been the "Rockin' Rollers," sales associate Debbie Lyes said. There's a Santa and a Snowman. Each moves along on skis and sings a song. They cost $29.95.

"People love them," Lyes said. "Everyone likes things that move around and make noise."

A more peculiar item is a giant snow globe. There's a fiber optic Christmas tree inside the more than two-foot-high dome with a train track running around the base of the tree. Snow blows inside the globe and it plays five different Christmas songs. It's big enough to take up an entire end table. It costs $89.99.

There are also wreaths with artificial branches in various sizes and with various decorations. A 36-inch wreath with plain green branches is $49.99. A slightly smaller one with lots of red berries on it sells for $34.99.

If you're looking for more of a Florida-themed Christmas, you might opt to buy the 7-foot-high lighted palm tree for $159.99. The trunk has white lights and the leaves have green lights.

"You can use it for Christmas now and on the patio for the rest of the year," Lyes said.

Lyes also pointed out the Santas dressed in different clothes, a collection by Clothtique. There's an Italian Santa with a chef's hat on a holding pasta for $37.99, there's a Santa on a Harley for $51.99 and a Santa dressed as a hunter for $36.99, among many others.

While many stores feature mostly Christmas items for the holidays, decorations for Hanukkah are becoming more popular.

At Burdines, there is a contemporary crystal menorah with candles included. The piece is made by Marquis by Waterford and costs $89. There's also a Waterford dreidel for $49.

But for a wider selection of Hanukkah items, the gift shop at Temple Shalom, 4630 Pine Ridge Road, is the place to go.

Manager Pearl Sugarman said people can buy from the shop or order from various catalogues. The shop is open from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sundays through Fridays. It is closed Saturdays.

Perhaps because of the influence of Christmas, Sugarman said more and more Jewish people are decorating their homes for Hanukkah -- especially the younger generation, Sugarman said.

"I've been running this shop for 10 years, and I definitely see a trend toward people wanting more public decorations, something you can see from the outside instead of just having the menorah inside on the dining room table," Sugarman said. "Now we have electric menorahs that go in the window."

An inexpensive favorite item this year is a suction cup window decoration that lights up with blue lights and says, "Happy Hanukkah." It costs $18.

As for menorahs, the shop has a wide selection from the traditional brass and silver to more contemporary aluminum, stainless steel, ceramic and crystal. Prices range from $12 to $300. The eight days of Hanukkah are celebrated by lighting a candle on the menorah each of the successive nights. The first candle will be lit this year on Dec. 19.

Another Hanukkah tradition is to eat potato pancakes with apple sauce and sour cream, Sugarman said, so the shop sells a ceramic platter designed specifically for serving them up at a cost of $30.

"We have a lot of serving pieces and things to decorate the table, just like is done for Christmas. Our stuff is just decorated for Hanukkah instead of Christmas," Sugarman said. "We all like to feel festive this time of year and decorations help you feel more festive. They make great gifts for yourself or for someone else."