Rosemarie Sachs has no shortage of Christmas reminders.
Every room in her home is filled with them, almost overflowing with different representations of Santa Claus, from older, more classic versions to newer twists with modern upgrades.
In her living room, you can see Santa riding a motorcycle or soaking his aching feet. In the dining room, there is a line of musical Santas, from country to rock "n' roll versions, including one where his large belly dances to the song "Shake Your Tailfeather." In the bedroom, there's one that reads "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" in an eerily lifelike fashion and a very small love seat on the bedside table that shows Santa and Mrs. Claus sitting together.
One room houses Sachs's unique Nativity scene purchased at Samuel's Tuxedos and Gifts about 10 years ago. It features intricate design work on each of the heavy figurines, and Sachs is quite proud of it.
"You don't see those anymore," she said as she looked at it.
That same room houses more incarnations of Santa, including two that sing "Feliz Navidad." In the kitchen, there's a small case housing a miniature Santa and when you press a button, it begins to snow on him. Another lights up as he rides off a rooftop in his sleigh with his reindeer, and another shows Santa weighing himself.
Then there are the two different figures on top of the refrigerator, one snowman and one Santa, who play music and dance. At a certain point in the song, they turn around and start shaking their butts.
Sachs laughs as she points it out and talks about how fun her collection can be.
In the hallway, there are patriotic Santas decked out with the American flag and another all in white she calls her "Alaska Santa." She points out the older Santas have straighter, longer beards, noting it wasn't until later they started to have curly beards.
Sachs, 80, isn't quite sure how long she's been collecting, but said her son tells her it's been about 20 years since she started. And she has no idea how many she has, but it's in the hundreds. There's at least 40 in the living room alone.
(She noted it's hard to imagine the amount of work required to pack and unpack her enormous collection every year.)
She said she never had any Santas around her home growing up, as the family moved all the time. One day, she said, she decided to start collecting.
"I decided I'm gonna be Grandma Santa Claus," she said with a laugh.
The collecting hasn't stopped since.
Sachs picks them up from all over. Much of her collection is from Samuel's Tuxedos and Gifts, purchased over the years, and some come from Tolson Drug or Carrie's Hallmark Shop. She picks up items at rummage sales and on her many trips (she points out two Santas in green that she picked up in Ireland).
"I got one at a time," Sachs said as she heads to the back room, filled with Santas and other Christmas-themed figurines. (She acknowledges she's soon going to run out of room.)
Sachs said her sister in Eldon also helps with her collection, sending her different Santas that she finds.
In the back room, she has entire sets she picked up in Branson, like a ceramic set of melting snowmen. Next to a small couch is a Santa bent over a computer screen showing his famous list.
And on a filled table near the door, among many other figurines, is an older-looking Santa sitting over the Earth. Around the planet, it reads "Peace on Earth" and plays the song of the same name.
As it plays, Sachs watches with a smile.