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How a Glendale house is bringing holiday joy, one Santa at a time
Xenia Sanders posing with some of her Santas.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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Growing up, I’d beg my mom to drive slowly by a particular house on Adams Hill in Glendale so I could admire the elaborate holiday decorations.
Whether it’s Christmas, Halloween, Easter, or Valentine’s Day — trinkets and knick knacks spill from the tan, two story house near the intersection of York Boulevard and Ranons Avenue.
And those little moments, with children’s hands pressed against the glass and snap happy onlookers on the sidewalk, are exactly what motivates Xenia Sanders to keep her decorating tradition alive.
“It brings me joy, it keeps my head alert,” she told LAist. “I feel like I'm wanted.”
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Labor of love
Between football Santa (in his red #25 jersey), fireman Santa, police Santa, and a cowboy Santa from Texas — Sanders has memories and stories for every piece of her holiday puzzle, which she’s been building for around 30 years.
She has about 200 Santas at this point, many from her home country of Panama, which take up a good chunk of her driveway and front lawn. And although she goes all out for the Christmas season, the tradition began with Halloween.
Some of the 200 Santas in the collection.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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Christmas decorations.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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Xenia Sanders' decorated pond for Christmas.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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Her grandson, who was 3 at the time, would collect his quarters so he could buy Sanders new decor. She said he always encouraged and supported her, up until the day he died at 23-years-old.
She speaks of him fondly, and as a handful of people gather around in front of her house, the longing in her voice quickly turns to joy.
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“ This one over here, my grandson gave it to me,” she said, pointing to a blown up Santa on the grass. “But if you notice it, the dog is peeing on him, and it's funny. So that's my favorite one.”
At 80 years old, it’s difficult for Sanders to lay out the figurines and plug in lights without her grandson’s help. But seeing kids in the community stop by, and watching the joy her work brings them, makes all the difficult moments worth it, she said.
Xenia Sanders posing with an inflatable Santa.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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Christmas decorations around a pond.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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Christmas decorations.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
)
Nathan Fuentes, 12, jumped out of a car with his younger sister and mother, who shared compliments from the sidewalk. Fuentes told LAist his favorite pieces are the Mickey Mouses, which Sanders said she has about 400 of.
“She knows, like, what Christmas is,” he said.
Sanders tries to add another object every year, including a snowman for this season. But she admittedly doesn’t have much room left with about a thousand decorations all together.
She already has an eye on Easter, but Halloween will always be her favorite, with Christmas coming in a close second.
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“I feel sometimes that I am doing nothing and living just for living,” she said. “But this, no, this brings a lot of happiness to me.”
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
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