Want to know what a Disney obesssion looks like?
Donna and Paul Miller celebrate Mickey Mouse and all things Disney all year round, but especially at Christmas
There is no season in the year during which Donna and Paul Miller don’t celebrate Mickey Mouse and all things Disney.
By far, the biggest celebration arrives during the Christmas season, when the Springfield couple fill their home with trees decorated in every Disney theme imaginable. She bought another eight just this year in preparation for next Christmas.
But Donna says they have Disney décor for all seasons — Easter, Halloween, you name it.
A recent visit during the “off season” proves Donna’s passion for Disneyana is year-round.
Donna blames her collecting obsession squarely on son Scott, who got her interested maybe 25 years ago when he worked at a Springfield Disney Store that has since closed.
Now that he lives and works near Disney World, in Orlando, Florida, Scott still frequently tempts her with photo texts of his finds. Donna says she tells him to stop, but it’s not readily apparent her protests are taken seriously.
The tour of the Millers’ comfortable home begins in the kitchen, where even the appliances and dishware are Disney. The toaster leaves Mickey Mouse impressions. They have a talking Mickey cookie jar, a Mickey waffle iron, ice cream maker and silverware. Dish sets — daily and holiday — are festooned with Disney characters.
Traces of Disney are sometimes subtle. Some lamps created in the Tiffany style bear faint impressions of characters such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio.
Take a fast tour of this house that’s as close to Disney World as you’ll find in Springfield, Mo. Brenna Stark/For the News-Leader
Each room has touches of Disney, but the finished walkout basement is where the heart of her off-season collection shines.
Donna has amassed a collection of Disney snow globes so vast even she doesn’t know how many she has. “I’ve tried counting them all and I gave up because there’s just no way,” Donna says.
The collection is stunning, even for those who sell Disneyana.
“Even the people from Disney (Store in Branson) who came over for Christmas want to come back because they’ve never seen so many snow globes,” Paul says with a laugh.
The snow globes are elaborate in decoration and were made when the company still used ceramic bases, rather than resin. Donna has arranged them by character. Over here are Jungle Book and Pirates of the Caribbean snow globes. Over there are Donald Duck, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell.
They are joined by other decorative Disney items, including a vintage Mousketeers ukulele and mouse cap.
But Donna so loves Beauty and the Beast, she gave the collection an entire guest room.
Soon, the Millers will pull Disney fountains from storage and set them up outside for the warm months ahead and the Easter decorations will find their spot in the lineup.
She says friends sometimes ask her if she ever tires of Disney. She tells them, “No, it makes me happy.”
“If it doesn’t sing or dance, it doesn’t come into my home,” she says.