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Monday, November 8, 1999
Christmas lasts six months at Minten sisters' house
Profit from tours of La Gloria home go to charity
By Mary Lee Grant
Caller-Times
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| David Pellerin/Caller-Times |
| Esther Minten reads to visitors as they tour her and her sisters' home in La Gloria. |
LA GLORIA - The white-haired sisters wear long skirts as they lead guests through their isolated ranch house, which is decorated for Christmas six months a year.
Christmas trees are covered with spring flowers, a closet is transformed into a dramatic midnight snow scene, a bathroom is dedicated to Rudolph.
But shhh . . .
"You're not going to tell them the themes, are you?" Dorothy Minten asks her youngest sister in a tone cultivated by 30 years of school teaching.
"No, I'm not,'' Janie Minten says as she hands out a written statement warning visitors not to discuss the themes of the Christmas House. "The phone is ringing, Dorothy.''
It rings persistently at the Minten house, where the more than 3,000 guests that tour the house annually call to make reservations. Many are return visitors.
Dorothy, 72, Esther, 68, and Janie Minten, 55, have been leading tours of their elaborately decorated Christmas House since 1986. Dorothy says they have had visitors from at least 48 states and many foreign countries.
"We have had every state, except for a couple of those northeastern states,'' she said.
The sisters have lived most of their lives on the ranch where they were raised in the tiny rural community of La Gloria. They still raise cattle, and deer and wild turkey roam in the brush near the house.
XMAS sisters
They all are retired schoolteachers. Dorothy and Esther taught at the La Gloria school just down the little county road from their house, and Janie taught seven miles away in Premont.
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| David Pellerin/Caller-Times |
| 'Midnight Magic' is one of the many rooms with a theme at the Minten sisters' home. Visitors can tour the home from September to March, but the tours are by appointment only. |
Family is of great importance to them, but they have no children of their own.
"We are God's unclaimed jewels,'' Janie said. "That means we are all old maids.''
They have lived together practically all their lives and share most activities.
On Sundays, Janie and Dorothy sing as Esther directs the choir at the First Baptist Church in Falfurrias. In the summer, they travel to their favorite haunts: Branson, Mo., Europe and Pella, Iowa., where they buy Dutch China.
Their white Cadillac and two pickup trucks have license plates emblazoned with XMAS1, XMAS2 and XMAS3.
"We have always loved Christmas,'' Dorothy said. "Our parents always made Christmas so special for us that we want to pass that joy along.''
September opening
Treasures from their childhood stand out amid more traditional decorations. Stuffed animals, which they call "our kids,'' are sought out by visitors each year. Childhood photos, wooden shoes belonging to their Dutch grandparents and a variety of beautiful antiques all can be found among the Christmas paraphernalia.
"Each year is completely different," Janie said, "so no one ever knows what to expect."
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| David Pellerin/Caller-Times |
| 'Santa's Texas Workshop' is stocked with Christmas decorations. The Minten sisters - Dorothy, 72, Esther (pictured), 68, and Janie, 55 - have been leading tours of their Christmas House since 1986. |
The sisters spend weeks putting the house together, working 18-hour days, for its opening in September, they said.
They are all collectors, and they combine their collections of dolls, miniatures (more than 300 drawers full), movie star plates, stuffed animals and many other items with Christmas decorations as they deck the halls in August. They find it hard to dispose of anything but trash, they say. Dorothy still has gum wrappers from the premiere of one of her favorite movies, "Snow White,'' in 1937.
Individual specialties
Each sister fills an important role in decorating the house.
Dorothy loves details. Esther is the organizer. Janie is the decorator.
"We all get along,'' Janie said. "We all do different things.''
The house remains open until March, still decorated for Christmas.
"Here, anytime of the year can be Christmas,'' Janie said. "Christ didn't come to be in our hearts only at Christmas, but to live in our hearts all year long."
A business and a calling
The Christmas House had its beginnings years ago, when the sisters held Christmas open houses for their friends, who suggested they allow the public to tour their home to see the elaborate decorations.
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| David Pellerin/Caller-Times |
| The Christmas House had its beginnings years ago, when Esther (from left), Dorothy and Janie Minten held Christmas open houses for their friends, who suggested they allow the public to tour their home to see the elaborate decorations. |
Now they have what Esther describes as a cross between a business and a calling.
They have a store called Santa's Workshop, which is housed next door in the frame house where they grew up.
There, they sell a variety of Christmas supplies, candles, ornaments and collectibles that would make Santa's elves swoon with delight. (Elves are for sale, too.) The shop is open by appointment only.
Money for charity
Tours of the Christmas House include stories told by the sisters, both witty and sad, as well as freshly baked goodies, coffee, lemonade and music.
Out of each $8 admission fee, $1 goes to the Texas Children's Heart Institute. Last year, they raised $10,200 for the charity, they said.
Guests also sometimes leave donations on the antique organ. The practice originated with a nickel left on the organ by someone touring the house. Dorothy teased the guest that she would play the organ if a nickel was left. Others began leaving donations on the organ.
Now, the organ fund goes to the heart institute as well.
Spreading happiness
Esther Torres of Edinburg had a constant smile on her face as she watched the sisters show off their Christmas treasures on a recent autumn day.
"Christmas is one of my favorite holidays,'' she said. "I just really love being here with all their beautiful things.''
Belinda Hulings of Harlingen said she likes to come to the house to get ideas to decorate her own home at Christmas.
"It helps me anticipate the holidays,'' she said.
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How you can visit
For more information on the Christmas House and Santa's Workshop, call the Minten sisters at (361) 325-2068 or (800) 276-4339. Admission is $8 for adults and children ages 5 and older, and $6 for children ages 2 to 4. Reservations are required.
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Most of rooms are decorated in a secular Christmas style. Guests might run into a Cowardly Lion, a green-eyed southern belle or a red-headed doll that has traveled the world.
A way to witness
But one room always has a religious theme, and the tour ends with a mini-sermon.
"I have chosen Jesus, and I know where I am going,'' Janie tells the groups. "I hope you all know, too. The cross is the center of Christmas too, and we must never forget that Jesus is why we celebrate Christmas.''
Visitors often cry, she said, and tell her that in one way or another, the sisters have managed to bring the meaning of Christmas home to them.
For Janie, Dorothy and Esther, that is the best Christmas gift of all.
Staff writer Mary Lee Grant can be reached at 886-3752 or by e-mail at grantm@caller.com
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