Posted Tuesday, October 4, 2022 4:00 pm

By ALLEN MINCEY, Cleveland Daily Banner

With the recent arrival of October, Christmas may be the furtherest thing on people’s minds, but not at Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland’s ReStore.

Deborah Flower, coordinator of the the Christmas section of the ReStore, aided by her husband, are Habitat Heroes and annually gather a group of volunteers to decorate Christmas trees and set up displays at “The Christmas Shoppe.” She and those volunteers began putting out the Christmas items as early as mid-September.

Flower, who is a retired kindergarten teacher, volunteers for this event, but it turns out to be not just a seasonal “job,” but a year-round endeavor.

“I have done this since 2010 and I am known as ‘the Christmas Lady,’ though ‘Holiday Lady’ is probably more appropriate as I am in charge of every holiday that comes down the pike,” Flower said.

Trees, lights and decorations are not the only holiday items the Habitat ReStore has available. There are also Christmas wreaths, linens, clothes, knickknacks, yard art, candles, china and glassware.

Flower said preparing for Christmas begins almost immediately as that holiday ends, as she begins collecting ornaments and other items that many will donate to the ReStore after having them on display for the current season.

“I separate all holiday-themed items from the everyday donations throughout the year,” she said. “The items are then cleaned, organized and placed in separate totes according to the holiday.”

All of the holiday items are stored in two semitrailer rigs behind the rear of the store at 300 Grove Ave. SW and get pulled out around as the summer ends and fall begins.

A shopper at the ReStore might find items for Valentine’s Day, Easter or Fourth of July, though the biggest holiday for shoppers there is Christmas.

“All year long, I have saved unique and special Christmas decorations and once a year, I have some creative friends come and decorate the trees,” she said.

This past week, friends from the Ridgewood Subdivision — Mary Ellen Stinchfield and Pat Love — came and helped Flower with tree decorations. Flower also celebrates the holiday in the subdivision each year, usually dressed as Lady Liberty with her husband, who often portrays Uncle Sam.

A couple of weeks before, volunteers from Candies Creek Baptist Church helped at what is commonly called “Deb’s Winter Wonderland.”

All of the items for sale have been donated to Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland to help fund home-building projects, and each year staff, customers and volunteers look forward to the holiday.

“Everyone has the opportunity to give a ‘hands up’ for hope in our community by using their skills through such volunteer efforts,” Flower said. “All proceeds are put toward a house for a deserving homeowner.”

In fact, the most recent homeowners — the Cullins family — will have their new home in Morelock Meadows dedicated on Oct. 10. It will be the first in that new subdivision, which also will include a quad to house four families, and other subsequent homes to be built in 2023.

“Deb’s Christmas Shoppe,” Flower said, “brings in people who would not normally come to the ReStore, as they can find Christmas decorations cheaper here than in other stores.” It also give those shoppers an idea of the other bargains at the ReStore.

For more information about the Christmas items available and ReStore, call 423-473-4610. To find out more about Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland, visit www.habitatofcleveland.org.