For Kim Steinberg of West Des Moines, Christmas is a year-round frame of mind.
“I have collected Christmas items since I was a teenager,” says Kim Steinberg, who lives with her husband, Mickey Moore, in a Glen Oaks townhome in West Des Moines. “I am always on the lookout for holiday items when I travel.” She has been known to purchase an inexpensive ostrich shell with a Santa figure for $1—and she has been known to spend a more than that on a special piece that caught her eye.
Some of her favorite collectibles are the many (over 300) lighted buildings and accessories by Department 56. “They are like collecting pieces for a dollhouse,” she points out. “I put out different buildings, houses, and accessories each year and move them to different locations, so it always feels new.” The main floor showcases her collection of the lighted Original Snow Village.
Then there are the big and small Santa figures, now numbering about 200. “It’s all part of the Christmas magic,” says the veteran collector. “I truly enjoy all the ribbing I take from everyone about my passion. Mickey teases me a lot, but deep down he loves it, too.”
For Kim, it’s all about the memories created. She goes crazy if she can’t find one, and she knows them all. Plus, she remembers where each and every item came from. “They may have been gifts, they may have been purchased on a trip, or they may have been an after-Christmas bargain, but each piece is important.” And, yes, she has passed some on to new homes, particularly if someone mentioned he or she liked a certain piece.
Eclectic Styles
Her taste is eclectic. There are elegant Lladro porcelain pieces, quilt-inspired Jim Shore resin pieces, and elegant glass Christopher Radko ornaments.
When guests come to visit, they are greeted with a large round entry table that Kim decorates throughout the year. “With my ‘more is more’ philosophy,” she explains with a laugh, “I love to make the entry a showpiece.” This year’s theme is cherubs and angels, greens and roses. Tall, sparkly gold tree shapes give height, and evergreen boughs are tipped in “ice crystals” for more bling. Nearby is a tree with gold lights, gold and bronze beads for garlands, and a gold filigree star on top.
Every year, after spending about three weeks decorating her townhome, Kim and Mickey host a holiday cocktail buffet for 80 to 100 guests. Part of the fun for many guests, Kim says, is looking around at her holiday decorating to see if they can find new items or differently placed items.
Kim has the party details down to a science. She uses her own dishes for a personal look and hires a caterer. There’s a wine bar in the kitchen, and she has one-third of the food upstairs and two-thirds downstairs. There are finger foods and tapas, a bruschetta bar, meatballs, hot and cold appetizers, and little sandwiches and munchies.
Kim decorates the furniture for the holidays, too. Large living room chairs have big red bows on back, and they hold Christmas stockings. For her dining table, she uses red chargers and shiny gold place mats under the nature-inspired Winter Greetings pattern of Lenox china. Dining chairs are tied with red bows holding silver sprigs. The centerpiece of hydrangeas and mums is low enough to allow conversation.
A lighted hutch is full of glass and crystal and special holiday items, and the coffee table holds festive tiered oil candles. The library table behind the sofa takes a cue from Mother Nature. Tall silver vases hold greenery and sprays of berries. There are silver trees in simple tree shapes for contrast. The large tree in the living room sparkles with multiple sizes of lights, and it is topped by a velvet star for an elegant touch. Glass bowls of shiny ornaments add more sparkle. Nearby on the fireplace mantel sit showy mercury glass urns and holiday candlesticks.
The top of a bombe chest in the living room features lovely small Santa Clauses under glass domes, including an Irish Santa drinking Guinness. No cookies and milk for him!
Lower Level
On the lower level the Christmas in the City Snow Village showcases ice skaters and a photographer taking Santa photos; the classic buildings of the village cover the whole top of a buffet. Near the big-screen TV is the Alpine Village Snow Village, complete with Santa on skis, a ski lift, and children on toboggans. Kim absolutely loves the animation of the characters.
She even decorates the iron bed in the guest bedroom on the lower level with a holiday swag. And, yes, there’s a Santa figure in the guest shower.
The family room on the lower level features a bookshelf with six lighted niches, and Kim delights in showcasing Santa figures from all over the world in those. Her favorite pieces of all she owns are her intricately decorated Fitz & Floyd Santa Claus figures and the Snow Villages. “I have a niece who totally understands the charm of the villages, and she will inherit them someday.”
The kitchen counters are trimmed with Peggy Carr holiday glass plates and a sleigh holding big, shiny ornaments. The master bedroom gets trimmed, too. There’s a lighted wreath over the poster bed, and Christmas pillows send a greeting.
Storage? Kim took care of that when the couple finished the lower level of their home. A large, shelf-lined room is for storing labeled containers that keep items organized. And, yes, on a smaller scale, she loves to decorate for other times, too, such as Halloween.
“It’s all just magic,” says the inveterate collector. “I absolutely love it.”
