Jason and Jessica Smith have a holiday tradition with their three young children.
The Land O’ Lakes couple brings the youngsters to the Christmas House at Old Lutz School where the kids get a giant serving of holiday cheer. As they make their way through the historic building, Maddy, 6; Amelia, 5; and Elliot, 2, have plenty to see.
One room in the school at 18819 N. U.S. 41 is filled with Christmas trees, decked out in all sorts of themes. One of those trees is decked out with paper ornaments colored by kindergarten children at Lutz Elementary School.
In another room, visitors can check out a huge assortment of nutcrackers. There are also rooms with miniature trains that make their way through towns and villages.
Outside there are other decorations.
Lights spell out “Season’s Greetings” in front of the historic building, and windows are illuminated by lighted decorations. There’s an old-fashioned Nativity scene on the south side of the school, and lighted sculptural figures include deer and an angel.
After enjoying the decorations, visitors are invited to have a cup of hot chocolate and a cookie or two
“For kids their age, this is great,” said Jessica Smith, noting her kids just love it. “We usually come on multiple nights.”
Admission is free, but donations are accepted to help pay for the upkeep of the building, which opened in the 1926-27 school year. The building, which has a Georgian architectural style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The schoolhouse is an icon in this community, which has a long history of protecting its quality of life. At one point, there were plans to knock down the building as part of a plan to widen U.S. 41.
Those plans were tossed out, however, after the community galvanized to save the old school, which has a special place in the collective memories of generations to Lutz residents.
The Citizens for the Old Lutz School puts on the annual Christmas display as a way to share the building with the community and raise funds to support its upkeep. Group member Marilyn Wannamaker has volunteered at the Christmas House for years. She was there last week, serving up hot chocolate and cookies.
People of all ages enjoy the annual tradition, Wannamaker said.
“There’s mothers, dads, grandparents and children — most of them come back year after year,” she said.
“You see families return every year,” said Helen Cantrell, another volunteer.
For many, it’s a chance to run into old friends — something quite easy to do in Lutz — where many residents have lived for generations.
Maxine Conway, of Land O’ Lakes, came out to Christmas House to help Wannamaker pass out goodies.
“I appreciate the work that goes into it,” Conway said.
Christmas House organizers realize that people are often frazzled before Christmas, so they keep the house open for a couple of days after Dec. 25. Besides accommodating busy parents, it also gives out-of-town visitors a chance to savor the season.
Annie Fernandez, whose family has deep roots in Lutz, enjoys volunteering at Christmas House. She gets a kick out of watching the children’s reactions as they go through the decorated rooms. The youngsters tend to gravitate to a collection of elves, Fernandez said.
At first, Fernandez didn’t understand the children’s fascination. But now, she knows.
It turns out that they know all about the “Elf on A Shelf” — a special scout sent from the North Pole to help Santa manage his nice and naughty lists, said Fernandez, who reminds the children that these elves also are Santa’s Helpers.
WHAT: Christmas House at the Old Lutz School, featuring decorated trees, miniature trains, angels, Santas, nutcrackers and other holiday décor
WHERE: Old Lutz School, 18819 N. U.S. 41.
WHEN: Dec. 26 and Dec. 27, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
COST: Admission is free. Donations are accepted to support the upkeep of the Old Lutz School, a building on the National Register of Historic Places.
