Maricopa couple puts Christmas tree collection on display (video)

Eddie and Carmen Hurtado have turned their home into a Christmas display for Maricopa residents to enjoy.

Since 2009, the Hurtado family has been collecting Christmas trees from yard and estates sales around the country to build their collection of 37 trees. Carmen Hurtado begins setting the trees up each September, and the family displays the seasonal decorations through the winter holiday season.

“We got this home for our kids to visit, and after looking at it, we knew one tree wouldn’t be enough,” Eddie Hurtado said. “So what I ended up doing was stopping at yard sales to pick up a tree. Then I go to another yard sale and see another one. Realistically I think we only have six out of the 37 trees that we actually bought at a store.”

Eddie and Carmen began displaying the trees early in the holiday season because they celebrate Christmas during Thanksgiving each year. To avoid the hassle of traveling during Christmas, the Hurtados’ children visit in November, and the couple tries to have all the Christmas decorations on display by then.

“It’s too hard to get together for Christmas,” Eddie Hurtado said. “As we started doing this for Halloween, the kids would come to the door and say, ‘oh, this is the ‘Christmas Tree House,’ can we come in again?’ So every year the kids come back and they bring their parents in.”

The Hurtados admit it is a bit crazy to let the public into their home each year, but they have a passion for the holiday season and a passion for sharing love with their community.

“It’s just about the joy of putting everything together and seeing the results,” Carmen Hurtado said. “It’s not work, it’s love, and we just want to share it.”

The “Christmas Tree House,” as it has come to be known, is located at 18522 N. Carmen Ave. in Maricopa’s Alterra subdivision and will be open from 5:30 to 8 p.m. throughout the holiday season.