Lombard 'Santa house' brings joy - maybe for final year

It wasn't too surprising when Bob Klein started coming home with abandoned plastic Santas he found while working as a driver for ComEd.

"He was a holiday guy," says his wife, Kathy. "He liked holiday decorations."

Bob gave the Santas a new life by rewiring them and replacing the light bulbs. Every time he saw someone throwing out a Santa he'd stop and "rescue" it, Kathy said.

In December 2001, the Kleins put their 39-piece Santa collection on display for the first time in front of their large Victorian house on the 100 block of Main Street in Lombard. Kathy recalled with a laugh that Bob lined them up in a single file line that first year, across the front of their property.

It was a hit.

In response, Bob put a large piece of plywood in the yard painted with the words, "Retire your Santas here." That's when the donations began.

Now, the collection has grown to about 150 Santas. Some Lombard residents have made it a holiday tradition to visit the "Santa house," as it's known around town. Families make it a point to walk by after dusk and drivers regularly slow down to take pictures.

This year, the roof is decked with three Santas riding in sleds. Several small Santas are perched on the porch. There are rows of old Santas and new Santas in the front yard, some holding presents and bags of toys, others checking nice and naughty lists. Mrs. Claus can be spotted arm-in-arm with Santa a few times too.

"It's been a lot of fun," Kathy said. "It's really a tribute to my husband and what he started." Bob died in 2008. On the day of his funeral, a stranger stopped by as Kathy was leaving, to drop off a Santa.

"That was a sign from God to me," she said, adding that she knew then it was important to keep the tradition going.

It takes Kathy, her son and his two "adopted" brothers about five hours to take the Santas down from the loft of the garage, clean them off, stake them in the ground and hook up all the wiring and timers.

As they've set up the display the past two years, Kathy has been aware that it might be their last time doing so. Her house is for sale. While she hopes whoever buys it will keep the tradition going, she is also open to the idea of distributing some of the Santas to family, friends and neighbors - as long as they promise to put them on display.

"The community loves it," she said. "It brings joy to a lot of people."