Most people believe the Klaus family resides at the North Pole, blit evidence suggests that they have a vacation home in Bandera County as well.
Jan and Betty have a large home in Bandera where the spirit of Christmas resides. Their home is covered in Christmas spirit as well as seasonal decorations and displays. No one could have more holiday spirit than them. They even have a small herd of (rein) deer that occupy their yard.
After living in Washington, D.C. for twelve years, Jan (who was originally from San Antonio and is a 29-year Army veteran with 10 years civilian service to the Army) moved the family to Bandera County. Betty has 30 years of civilian service in the Army.
They finally found a place where they could build a house that could house all of their Christmas decorations. The couple have grandchildren that attend Bandera High School, as well.
Although Jan and Betty do decorate for all holidays, they do more for Christmas because they like it best and they can enjoy the decorations for a longer time.
This year, they started decorating for Christmas just after Thanksgiving. It takes between 2-3 weeks to get all the decorations unpacked and arranged.
The main collection displayed is Christmas cookie jars, but Jan and Betty say they have never seen a collection that they didn’t like. They do have other Christmas-themed decorations with Santas and polar bears. The color scheme is red-focused, and both Jan and Betty admit it is their favorite color.
They have collected the cookie jars for as long as they remember. Their house, when not in holiday decoration mode, has a peaceful country farmhouse motif which is very Americana.
On their mantle resides a dozen stockings, of course hung with care. Just off to the side, they have a dedicated “white corner” where the decorations follow that theme. No section of the house is bare of decorations; even the bedrooms have some holiday themed items.
The couple has eight decorated trees in their home. Their favorite tree is the White House Christmas ornament tree displayed in the front room. They have every White House Historical Society ornament ever produced. The beautiful metallic ornaments represent each president of the United States and show scenes that represent those leaders.
Jan and Betty truly love Christmas. When asked, Betty said that her one Christmas wish would be to leave their holiday decorations up all year round. Jan smiles quietly, just as a member of the Klaus family would do.
