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For 35 years the Allens have been putting up an entourage of vintage plastic blow-mold figures in the front yard of their three-bedroom Manoa cottage to spread Christmas cheer.
A 5-foot-tall Santa that Richard and Kay Allen purchased from Sears stands on one corner of the rooftop while several of his elves are busy in Santa’s Workshop and Disney characters Mickey, Minnie and Goofy cavort on the front lawn. A penguin waves from his igloo and a gingerbread man is all smiles.
“Kay is the one who loves Christmas,” said Richard Allen, 76, who started the tradition with a small sleigh set on top of the fence to make his wife happy. “It’s just all about family.”
Kay Allen, 70, was born in Manoa and grew up in the home, which was built in the 1930s.
Every year, one or two more figures are added to their collection, which totals about 50 pieces. The Allens, who own J.R. Allen Enterprises, a Hawaii greeting card and sticker company, find them on eBay. This year there’s a new polar bear with a Santa hat and red-and-white-striped scarf.
Richard Allen used to put the entire display up on his own but has since passed the task to his son Jon, 41, who works for Hawaiian Telcom.
It takes about eight hours to get everything just right, according to the younger Allen. He said he always starts with the Santa on the corner of the rooftop. Another 5-foot-tall Santa, carrying a bag full of toys, stands at the center of the front lawn to greet visitors.
Santa is pretty much everywhere: on a sleigh, next to Frosty the Snowman and with a teddy bear. Strands of colored lights are hung along the roof line.
The Allens flip the switch on the display the day after Thanksgiving.
Jon Allen and his wife, Janelle, 37, a nurse, live in Honolulu and always spend Christmas Day in Manoa. Their daughter, Jordyn, 2, loves going to her grandparents’ house to visit the illuminated figures. She can reach out and grab Frosty’s carrot nose and pat Tweety Bird on the head. She also enjoys sitting on top of the cow in the Nativity scene.
“It’s all about seeing the kids going up to them,” said her father, who plans to carry on the tradition for as long as he can. “Just to hear kids yelling, ‘Santa!’ or ‘Mickey Mouse!’ — that’s what makes it all worth it.”
Kay Allen’s favorite character is a honey-colored teddy bear. Many kids in the neighborhood come by to visit, she said, and the annual Manoa holiday parade passes by their home.
“I like seeing the kids when they come running up and give (the characters) a hug,” she said.
Besides spreading the joy of Christmas, the Allens also want to spread a message of support for the Blood Bank of Hawaii. A banner on their home reads, “Donate blood. Save lives.”
Richard Allen admits he first started donating blood as a way to get out of class at Roosevelt High School. But he continued for many years after, eventually donating 268 pints. He is no longer able to donate due to his health, but the cause is still dear to his heart.
“I just had good feelings,” he said of donating blood. “It would help somebody out.”
When he and Kay got married in 1966, she used to accompany him to the blood bank and then began donating herself, providing a total of 114 pints. Both Jon Allen and his sister, Kathy-Lyn Allen, who lives in Colorado, started donating blood in high school as well. Jon Allen became the local blood bank’s youngest “super donor” after giving 56 pints by the time he was 25.
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The Allen home is at
2672 Lowrey Ave. in Manoa. The display runs from 6 to 9 p.m. nightly through Jan. 1. To schedule an appointment with the Blood Bank of Hawaii, call 848-4770 or visit bbh.org.
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