To see practically every inch of Ginny Conn’s 4,200-square-foot Gulf Hills home sumptuously bedecked for Christmas, one might guess that she’d hired a team of professionals to handle the daunting task. But Conn does it all herself — the entire outside and all three levels of indoor living space, including bathrooms, closets, the laundry room and 17 trees.
Conn, who operates an Allstate Insurance firm in Gautier, has to start the process before Thanksgiving to get it all done, but she loves doing it. “Part of pleasure for me is the fact that I am doing it myself, because I’m getting to look at every (ornament) again.”
And she has a slew of ornaments, from store-bought, fancy, expensive baubles to treasured keepsakes she or her son, Tyler, made. Her favorite tree, she says, is one filled with homemade ornaments. “I sewed all the ornaments myself, and it has taken me about 15 years to make them all.” Each hand-sewn ornament evokes a pleasant memory. “I can pick up any of those ornaments and remember what I was doing when I made it,” she says.
To see practically every inch of Ginny Conn’s 4,200-square-foot Gulf Hills home sumptuously bedecked for Christmas, one might guess that she’d hired a team of professionals to handle the daunting task. But Conn does it all herself — the entire outside and all three levels of indoor living space, including bathrooms, closets, the laundry room and 17 trees.
Conn, who operates an Allstate Insurance firm in Gautier, has to start the process before Thanksgiving to get it all done, but she loves doing it. “Part of pleasure for me is the fact that I am doing it myself, because I’m getting to look at every (ornament) again.”
And she has a slew of ornaments, from store-bought, fancy, expensive baubles to treasured keepsakes she or her son, Tyler, made. Her favorite tree, she says, is one filled with homemade ornaments. “I sewed all the ornaments myself, and it has taken me about 15 years to make them all.” Each hand-sewn ornament evokes a pleasant memory. “I can pick up any of those ornaments and remember what I was doing when I made it,” she says.
Another tree holds fragile eggshell ornaments Conn made when she was a child. These bring back childhood memories, but even the newer ornaments hold meaning for her. They reflect her tenacity to come back strong after Hurricane Katrina flooded her Ocean Springs home with 13 feet of water.
“It’s emotional for me to talk about it, but I love these ornaments,” she says. “I evacuated the handmade ornaments with me, and I moved the others up on the third floor. If I hadn’t, I would have lost them.”
It was recovering from the storm that inspired Conn to decorate with such enthusiasm. In 2006, after she had repaired her home, she decided to do her part to get things back to normal and to uplift spirits. That’s when she started her annual “Gin’s Jingle Mingle” Christmas party, which she holds the first weekend in December.
The party gives her broad circle of friends (some 200 attended last year) a chance to enjoy Conn’s hard work and creative flair. There’s something to admire in nearly every room in the house. Each tree and decorative touch reflects the theme or feel of the room it adorns.
The huge tree in the living room has a more traditional look, while the tree in the foyer is funky in lime green and red. The banister is laden with red velvet bows and green magnolia leaves. The mantel is hung with different stockings, some of which Conn made. Her master bedroom has two trees, one on either side of the bed. They are decked with ornaments that speak of her love of high fashion. Her master bath, which has teal green wall murals custom painted by an artist from Texas, has a teal green tree. Even her dressing closet has a tree of pink feathers to complement a display of her vast collection of one-of-a-kind purses bought during her travels. A guest bedroom displays dozens of formal gowns and party dresses, so the tree here is fun and fanciful.
Conn also displays a sense of humor in her decorations. One of several funny wall hangings in her laundry room proclaims, “If things get bad and I become a bag lady, please let it be a Prada.” The Christmas tree in this room has flouncy peacock feathers.
Her son’s room downstairs holds a masculine-looking tree bedecked with rich, dark ornaments. Tyler, 23, pitches for a minor league team within the Detroit Tigers organization.
There is also a tree downstairs that holds mementos from Tyler’s baseball career, including a small glove he used during his earliest days as a little leaguer, a helmet signed by the University of Southern Mississippi team that made the playoffs under his leadership, and souvenirs he’s gathering now as a professional. Underneath this tree is where Conn places a train set with cars that were gifts from her to Tyler. “I gave him new car each year from the time he was 6 or 7 years old, so this is really special to me.”
Conn acknowledges that her decorating tradition is hard work, but for her it’s a walk down memory lane that she loves taking. “I do this for myself, really,” she says. “I can tell you the story behind every ornament — where I got it, who gave it to me, what I was doing when I made it.”
Being able to share it all with family and friends is just the angel on top of the tree.
