Jennifer Houghton’s love for seasonal decorating started humbly. “When we were first married, I had no money to spare on holiday decor,” she remembers. “I’d go to the after-holiday sales and buy things at 75 to 90 percent off to use the next year, and eventually it got bigger and bigger and bigger.” These days, Houghton’s over-the-top seasonal displays have attracted the attention of 475,000 Instagram followers (@TURTLECREEKLANE), who get glimpses of her elaborate indoor and outdoor decor for nearly every holiday, from Valentine’s Day to Halloween to Christmas. “I have never met a holiday I didn’t love to decorate for,” she jokes.
Christmas install starts the day after Halloween and takes two weeks—with off-season pieces stowed neatly in a storage room her husband, Steve, had built off the garage for that very purpose. Houghton’s displays grow and change each year, but her motivation is always the same: “The reason I do it is to bring joy to my family and to anyone who enters our home,” says the mom of five. And if major holidays weren’t enough, Houghton will soon have more occasions to celebrate: Her first grandchild, a girl, is due in March. Laughs Houghton: “Just imagine the baby showers and birthday parties!”
Scroll through Houghton’s designs from years past with the gallery below.
