Hergert displays royal collection of Jolly Old St. Nick

Santa Claus must feel especially jolly whenever he is coming to town and climbs down the chimney of Terri Hergert's Royal home to deliver Christmas presents.

That is because Hergert has a collection of Kris Kringle items that would make Santa's rosy cheeks blush as red as his iconic suit.

"It's the make-believe, magical part of Christmas," Hergert said. "I just have always liked Santas."

She has been a fan of the white-bearded, white-haired Father Christmas ever since she was a child growing up near Orchard.

"Every Christmas morning, we had Santa gifts under the tree," Hergert said. "It was just always part of growing up."

She could not recall when she started collecting Santa-centric figures, images and other ornamental objects.

"I have no idea when I got my first Santa," Hergert said. "It was when I was older. It's probably been over the last maybe 15, 20 years."

Once she began her collection, its growth took off like Santa in his reindeer-pulled sleigh from the North Pole, especially thanks to her three daughters.

"It ended up being a good Christmas idea for my kids to get me," Hergert said. "They could always get me a new Santa every year for Christmas."

She has cross stitched Santa-themed Christmas stockings for each of her 10 grandchildren.

"They're all completely different," Hergert said. "They're all personalized with their names on them. They all got them for their first Christmas."

She noted she has about 115 of her more than 150 Santa items – not counting the ones on her Christmas tree – decorating the inside of her home this holiday season.

"It takes a lot of trips up and down the steps from the basement," Hergert said.

Her Santa set is made up of objects – many of them with the familiar red-and-white attire of St. Nicholas – that feature various designs, materials and sizes.

"Just whatever catches my eye," Hergert said. "Every one of them is completely different. Some are soft, and some are ceramic, and some are floppy."

Not only has she received several Santa items as Christmas gifts, she has found many on her own at stores in Lincoln – such as Cedar Hill Home & Holiday – and O'Neill.

"I go kind of crazy when I get into a store and have Santas," Hergert said. "There's a store in Lincoln that I absolutely love. Cedar Hill – it's got amazing Santas."

Hergert handles her holiday hobby on her own. Her husband – Myron "Butch" of Butch's Body Shop & Auto Sales Inc. in Royal – leaves her to it.

She has two skinny Santa figures that were hand-painted by a friend of hers, former Orchard resident, the late Deana Lautenschlager.

"She knew I collected Santas," Hergert said. "One day, she brought them to me. They're just really light. They're very fragile. Those are two of them that are the most special to me."

Probably the favorite part of her collection is a three-car wagon train being driven by Santa, with a snowman and a reindeer as passengers.

"That was given to me by my grandkids," Hergert said, noting the year she received the item – 2006 – was written on the bottom of one of the cars.

"I only had three grandkids at that time," she said. "They gave that to me. That one I've always really, really liked."

Take a tour of Hergert's Santa collection at https://summerlandadvocatemessenger.zenfolio.com/p654013078