SANTA BRINGS JOY MORE THAN JUST ONE NIGHT

Scotland, Mexico, England and China -- Gross collects Santas from all over the world.

LaVerne Gross decorates her entire tree with Santas but gives much credit to 13-year-old grandson, Matthew Palish. Jackson U.S.A./Scott Moyers

Many of Gross' shelves are lined with Santas. Gross says Christmas is her favorite holiday.

Gross keeps over 250 of her 500 Santas in this cabinet that she had especially built to house her collection.

Gross holds two of her favorite Santas.

Santa Claus visits everyone on one special night a year, bringing joy to those that have been nice and not naughty. But Santa brings joy to LaVerne Gross' home in Jackson every day of the year -- in the form of her Santa collection.

Gross has over 500 Santas, of all shapes, colors and sizes and she never takes them down. "I did take them down once," she adds, "when we were supposed to have that earthquake."

She has Santas from all over, including Mexico, Scotland, Russia, England and China. She has Santas that are dressed as policemen, firemen and professors. A Native American Santa sits in one of the cases full of Santas -- this one has over 350.

"I've got Santas everywhere," Gross said. And she does -- she's got Santas lined along her mantle over her fireplace, in several cabinets around her home and her Christmas tree has nothing but Santa ornaments on it. Even her refrigerator door is littered with Santa magnets. "I just look for Santas everywhere."

Gross doesn't take credit for the way her Christmas tree looks, though -- her 13-year-old grandson Matthew Palish is her "tree decorator." She says he collects Santas, too, and she just "turns him loose" on the tree.

She says she gets many of the Santas as gifts. "I get them all the time now," she says. "Sometimes I wish I would get something else."

Some of the Santas have been gifts, but a good many she has bought herself. Gross, who loves to travel, buys several new Santas on every trip she takes. Sometimes, she even buys doubles of the Santas.

Gross began collecting Santas about nine years ago when her daughter-in-law bought her an entire set of Santas for Christmas. Gross has added from 50 to 100 Santas a year to her collection ever since.

"It's just mushroomed. I've just outgrown my house because of the Santas."

She started her collection in a small curio cabinet. But it soon became "stuffed full" of Santas. She had another cabinet especially built for her collection.

She is very proud of all of her collection, from her Norman Rockwell Santas to her Mickey Santas. But Gross' favorites are the Victorian Santas.

"I especially like those," she said. "They're very unusual."

Gross' husband, Bob, doesn't mind his wife's collection, she says.

"But sometimes he thinks I'm crazy," she said, laughing. "Especially when I spend his money on them."

While she especially likes the Victorian Santas, she says she has several others that she likes, too.

One of her favorite Santas is the one that she happened upon in an antique shop. It's pretty plain in comparison with some of the others, with the one distinguishing feature being that this Santa is holding a Coke.

"I don't know why, I just like this one."

Another is the Santa that is holding a Minnesota loon to his chest. "I like this one because it's odd," she said. Gross purchases a good many of the Santas because of their "unusual" appearance, she says. "I pick up ones that might be a tiny bit different."

Gross does have many Santas, but her collection is still not complete. "I'd love to have a Santa from Germany."

Gross says her collection is special to her and she hopes it is as special to her family because it is their "inheritance" from her.

While she admits she does have a vast collection, she says she will keep adding to it until she literally runs out of space. She does it because she loves to decorate and she loves Christmas.

"It has to be something you like to do," she said. "I like to decorate; I really do."