Joan Anderberg is having a blue Christmas.
Unlike the mournful song by Elvis Presley, Anderberg is thrilled.
She applied to the Lowe’s "holiday makeover" from the home-improvement store. What she wanted was Royals’ themed Christmas on her house.
Anderberg, who lives north of the river, got her Christmas wish.
“I love it,” she said. “It makes me smile. I love when I drive home at night and I can see the glow from my house.”
Lowe’s said that 362 people applied across the nation and five were chosen. The makeover was done with the help of Skip To My Lou, a Topeka-based designer.
The entrance to the house has two huge baseball bats with a plywood crown above them. There are hundreds of blue-and-white lights, a Royal pennant and it all leaves no doubt that Anderberg and her family are big Royals fans.
“It’s been the best,” she said. “I just couldn’t believe they picked me. ... I just can’t say how much fun this has been. It’s a tribute to the Boys in Blue.”
Last year, Anderberg’s father died in early October and she said Christmas didn’t have that special feel — especially when she pulled out the family’s Christmas lights and just one strand was working.
So she told her husband and their two sons (one is in college, the other a freshman at St. Pius X) that this Christmas would be much better.
“I think this is going to be our Christmas forever,” Anderberg said. “I’m not sure we’re going to be able to get it all down.”
It should come as no surprise that the Anderbergs have had a lot more traffic outside their house this Christmas.
“We have cars driving by every night,” she said. “And they stop and they look and they circle around our cul-de-sac and stop and look.
“It’s been quite fun.”
And there was a surprise visitor on Tuesday. Laurence Leavy, better known as Marlins Man, was in Kansas City and he stopped to see the display.
“Marlins Man showed up at my door,” Anderberg said. “And I was like are you kidding me? Are you Marlins Man. He went crazy. He videoed it and went on and on about it.
“He was just so amazed.”
Here’s guessing he’s not the only one who has been amazed.
Pete Grathoff: 816-234-4330, @pgrathoff
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