Merry Grinchmas: South Shenango family inspired by Seuss classic

Dec. 16—SOUTH SHENANGO TOWNSHIP — Cindy Dikeman likes Christmas; she likes Christmas a lot.

She likes it so much, she decorates with all she's got.

Her whole yard is covered with sights of the season — lights, inflatables, a book that's big beyond reason.

The inspiration, if that's any of your business, was Dr. Seuss' holiday classic, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"

"She has been working all year on this display," Dikeman's friend Celene Brooks said Friday. "It's amazing."

When Brooks first heard the plan, which involved the construction of a larger-than-life representation of the book itself that visitors to Dikeman's home near the shore of Pymatuning Reservoir could walk through, she had a hard time envisioning the Grinch-themed display. But when she brought nephews Colson Nowaczynski, 3, Brooks Nowaczynski, 5, and other family members who were visiting from the Pittsburgh area just before Thanksgiving, there it was in reality, just as Dikeman had described it.

"My niece and nephew just kept saying, 'This is awesome! This is awesome!'" Brooks recalled.

The 8-by-16 foot book display took shape in Dikeman's garage, constructed with canvas covering a 2-by-4 and chickenwire frame. Her nearby studio was the birthplace of enough hand-made Grinch-themed ornaments to cover numerous trees in the yard, and bin upon bin of holiday lights have been strung throughout, along with seven inflatables, a kid-sized bouncy house, even a couch and "Welcome to Whoville" backdrop where visitors can pose for photos with stuffed figures of Cindy-Lou Who and Grinch.

"This is my third year of doing larger displays out front," Dikeman said earlier this week. "This one's probably far more than what I've done in the past."

The display has drawn steady traffic, and visitors are welcome to come into the yard and take a look at it Dikeman's version of Whoville, the fictional town whose residents lose their Christmas presents when the Grinch descends from Mt. Crumpit "on a ramshackle sleigh" to steal every last toy.

Dikeman doesn't count every visitor, but she knows how many gift bags have been taken from the Grinch's lair inside the book display — she already has added about 25 to the initial supply of 60, and she was out to gather more supplies Friday evening — and she counts the letters that are left in the "Letters to Santa" mailbox.

More than 30 were dropped off each of the past two years, she said, and each letter writer receives a personalized response. Most are from children, but a couple of the funnier missives came from adults who wrote to Santa last year.

"I need a vacation," one said, "The kids aren't listening to me," another related. "Santa responded," Dikeman said.

On a more serious note, she asked that anyone who does leave a letter for Santa include their last name and address. She has posted multiple messages on social media in hopes of tracking down Mary Jane and Olivia, two youngsters who left letters this year but did not include enough information for a return letter.

"Can all you wonderful elves out there try to help Santa by finding the info he needs so he can reply to their letters?" Dikeman wrote on Facebook. "They will be so disappointed if they don't get letters from him. He really enjoyed their letters and wants to ensure he writes back to them!"

Dikeman has long enjoyed decorating for Christmas, but the pandemic pushed her to begin elaborate displays in her yard so that her grandchildren and others could drive by and see something fun outside. Little Tykes playsets made up most of the display the first year, then she added the bouncy house as well as fantasy elements like a unicorn, mermaid and dragon for last year's display.

She began planning the Grinch display around this time last year and has already started thinking about next year's display, which she hopes to make more interactive and will re-use the book display.

It can be a costly hobby — Dikeman estimated the book display alone cost more than $1,000 in labor and supplies — but she says it's more than worth it and helps keep her busy since an early retirement in 2020.

"I really enjoy it," she said. "It's an outlet for me and my creativity."

Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at mcrowley@meadvilletribune.com.