Just after dusk in LeRoy, the Merkle home at 305 E. Elm St. becomes something else entirely. Lights swirl across the yard, soft music drifts between the trees and seven tiny houses glow as if warmed from within.
What Kyle and Shannon Merkle call Santa’s Village has, in just a few years, become one of the community’s most magical holiday traditions.
The Merkles didn’t plan to build a large display. Their daughter is 25 now, and the project began when she was still in high school.
“We just missed the magic of the little kids,” Shannon said. “So we grew this slowly but surely whenever we moved to LeRoy back in 2012. We started out with just a reindeer and a sled.”
“We got the idea of the houses and the Santa village and the letters for the kids to just give back to the community,” she continued.
What began small now fills their entire yard. Santa’s Village features seven interactive, child-sized buildings, each with a different theme.
“We have a post office one where it has a little telephone and you can pick it up and listen to Santa’s voice,” Shannon explained. “We have a bakery with a little stove and play food, donuts and stuff. This year we added a coffee shop with a little coffee machine.”
“And we have Santa’s house where he has his boots and mittens and it looks like he lives there, a little fireplace that roars. We have a workshop with tools and little toys. Every house has a different theme, and we try to add little pieces to it every year,” Shannon continued.
In addition to the houses, the display includes photo opportunities with the Grinch and cutouts where families can pose for pictures.
The setup takes significant time each season. “It takes me a good two months to get set up fully,” Kyle Merkle said.
A lot of labor is required from the Merkles to put it all together each year, so staying motivated is essential. Seeing families enjoy the display makes the long hours worth it.
“The motivation is what I see tonight, the kids running around here having fun, laughing, giggling, and stuff like that. That is what continues me doing it every year,” Kyle said.
As families wander through the display, the yard fills with the sound of children laughing and footsteps running between the houses.
“Just hearing the giggle and the laughter is what makes it worth all of it,” Shannon said. “Even though it is a lot of work, we enjoy doing it every year, and we can’t wait to do it again next year even though it’s not even over this year yet.”
One of the most popular features is the Letters to Santa mailbox, added four or five years ago after the Merkles saw the idea online.
“We went ahead and bought a mailbox and put it on our front porch,” Kyle said. “And what it entails is, and this is giving away some inside secrets, we collect the letters every night, and then we read through them, and then we type up how we feel Santa would respond, and then we drop it in the mail. And then the kids get a response from Santa within a few days.”
“The responses are personalized to each kid,” Kyle said.
The Merkles accept letters until Dec. 17, as long as there is a self-addressed, stamped envelope for Santa’s reply.
Each year brings something new to the display. This season, the Merkles added the Elf on the Shelf Complaint Department Supervisor, a lighthearted nod to the elves’ mischievous behavior in December.
“We know those elves on the shelves can get a little mischievous this time of year,” Kyle joked. “So the kids can come and report what they’re doing, because we know those elves get away with a lot of stuff.”
Families across Le Roy now visit annually, and each year the Merkles like to bring in new additions for the returning visitors. Some families have been coming for multiple years, bringing new children, cousins and friends.
“We have been coming out for two years, and it’s great,” said LeRoy mother Erin Wahls. “All the interactions, just to have something like this is great for the kids. It’s great that these guys do this and bring this Christmas atmosphere to town and let the kids have that magical moment.”
For Kyle and Shannon, that joy keeps the tradition going. But for Kyle, there is something even deeper he hopes families take with them.
“The one thing I hope that everyone takes away is that the magic of Christmas lives in a kid. Seeing the kids smile, laugh. That is the true spirit of Christmas, regardless of what they have going on at home,” Kyle said. He continued, “That is the magic of the season, and that is what I hope they take away when they come here.”
“We enjoy doing it every year,” Shannon said. “And we’re always thinking about what we can add next.”
