KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- There are people who love Christmas decorations, and then there are people like Jeff Zumsteg.
"I've always been a Christmas freak I guess," he smiled and said.
Ten years ago Zumsteg and his partner Jeff Linville bought the historic Stevens House on Gladstone Boulevard in Kansas City. It was built in 1902 and designed for entertaining, which is something the couple has taken to a whole new level with their Christmas trees.
This year they put up 21 trees in their historic home. That's right, 21.
"Why not? Can't we have fun with it?" Zumsteg said.
They put up all the decorations on their own, starting the day after Halloween. It takes a month to get it all done, and you can see why. The tree in the front hall carries a whopping 600 ornaments.
But the nearly two dozen trees weren't the only things making the house merry on Sunday. Zumsteg and Linville asked neighbors and friends who stopped by to admire the decorations to also bring presents for Toys for Tots.
"It brings a smile to a child's face. It makes all the difference," U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Warren Orry, who was collecting the donations, said.
For Zumsteg the best part of his over the top Christmas display is seeing how others react to the winter wonderland.
"We all need that, the joy at Christmas," he said.
It's what makes it all worth it on January 1, when all of the decorations start to come down.
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