No one has ever confused Louie Murillo for good ole Saint Nick. Although, he is unusually jolly this time of year.
“Absolutely,” he said.
Every Christmas, Murillo, who owns a couple of Chick-fil-a restaurants in Dallas, treats his customers to a heaping helping of holiday happiness.
His stores are decorated in snowflakes, reindeer and lights.
However, that’s just his first course of Christmas.
At his house in Grapevine, Murillo has created a cornucopia of Kris Kringles. Not even Clark Griswold could design a holiday like this.
Believe it or not, though, Murillo has never gone over the top with Christmas decorations before.
Until a few months ago, he didn’t even own one decorative Santa. He simply needed a few to use as props for the family Christmas card.
“And once I got started, I just started buying and it never stopped,” he said.
He has amassed nearly 1,000 vintage Santa blow molds, and they’re still coming.
“My husband has lost his mind,” said his wife, Lori Murillo.
She has a point, but Louie assured her there was a plan behind all this crazy.
“And then he got me on board," she said.
Louie’s plan is to raise $10,000 for an organization in Grapevine called GRACE. The money will be used to provide Christmas for families in need.
“It’s just spreading joy at a time that we need it right now,” said Louie Murillo.
“It will help people who feel forgotten to know that they aren’t and that they’re loved and truly cared for,” said Lori Murillo.
He may not be St. Nick, but Louie has found a way to deliver hope for the holiday.
What more can a guy do?
“I don’t know,” Louie Murillo said. “I never know what’s next, but I guarantee something’s coming.”
“No, no,” Lori Murillo pleaded. “Let’s not go that far. We’re done. This is good. This is good.”
The Murillo house is located at 3373 Spruce Lane in Grapevine. Visitors are free to get out and walk through the display to take pictures and the lights will be on on from 5 to 10 p.m. each night.
For more information or to donate to GRACE, visit www.grapevinesantahouse.com.