Jaine Toth
The magic of Christmas comes alive each year in the front yard of Norm and Linda Fletcher at 5160 N. Hopi Lane in Robson Ranch. Such artistry! Linda says, “It’s all down to Norm. This is his hobby.” He does the work and she and all their neighbors benefit from it. It’s a labor of love that brings him so much joy and also gives it to so many others. It’s even won him the grand prize from the Eloy Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas home decorating contest both in 2022 and again this year.
Being in the military didn’t give Norm much time to do any decorating. This recent endeavor began following his seven years with the Navy’s Seabees and then retirement after 33 years in the Army Reserves. What started out small, much like with most homes, kept growing. But it didn’t really become a big production until they moved to Robson Ranch from northern California six years ago. Norm’s collection keeps increasing and he isn’t done yet. He keeps accumulating more and more items to add to his displays, which span the entire width of the front yard of their wide corner lot and has even expanded into his neighbors’ yards, also, much to their delight.
Some items have been donated by neighbors who don’t do as much as they used to, or who have items that aren’t working well anymore. Norm lovingly tweaks them back into display-worthy shape. Loving lights, he experiments with different types of lights until he is satisfied with each item’s presentation. He also scours the internet right after the holiday looking for good deals.
One of the reasons so much of the color, and even the white snow and snowmen are so bright is a special type of lighting he directs onto them so they seem to pop in the dark.
I asked when he began to set it all up and he replied, “The day before Thanksgiving.” “And when did you finish?” “Yesterday.” This conversation took place on Dec. 23.
To my question as to whether he had any artistic or creative training, he said “Being in the Seabees, sometimes in a remote location without access to some needed supplies or equipment, you learn to be creative, to make use of whatever materials are on hand and what you can collect from the local environs. You make do. You make it work.” That has served him well in developing his Christmas displays.
One thing that’s changed since living here is that he puts the lights on a timer. Living in a retirement community, most people turn in early, so off they go at 10 p.m.
I couldn’t help but laugh at his answer when I asked what kind of comments he gets from visitors when he happens to be outside when they come by. He admitted that by far the most common is “Will you come and put up our lights?” When you take a ride next Christmas to view the Fletcher home in all its splendid Christmas pageantry, the same question will want to escape your own lips.