Armand White was the benevolent keeper of the Christmas kingdom on the third floor of the Asa Waters Mansion. White’s late wife, Dee, collected the dozens of themed houses, carousels, lighthouses and figurines that are so impressive they have earned a permanent home in the Mansion, in a room named for Dee White. 

“I come up here and kind of babysit it,” White said. “I let the kids touch, I don’t care. Nobody’s going to notice.“

He invites young Aubrey to hide a snowman and she carefully picks out the front yard of a house to place him.

He invites the kids to hide a snowman and they love it, he said. He recalls a family of brothers who used to rush to hide a black and white Dalmation figurine. 

“They’re probably grown up now, but I still can’t find it,” he said.

At the age of 82, White continues to cherish the event in the historic building where he spent 27 years on a task force dedicated to its restoration.

“This is one of the happiest days of the year for me,” he said, adding that the happy days don’t happen so often since his wife died. “I get rejuvenated and I’m glad I came. I talk to people, the kids are so happy and it makes me happy. Everybody needs that.”