Two volunteers decorating Marietta for the holidays remember their service.

MARIETTA, Ohio (WTAP) – Every holiday season, downtown Marietta is enchanted with lights, wreaths and decorations of all kinds.

For This Is Home this week, we spoke with two dedicated volunteers who play an important role in bringing the Christmas spirit to Marietta.

Debbie Cline and Tim Bonnett say holiday decorating has always been close to their hearts.

“When I was little, our parents would take me and my sisters downtown and the firemen would put up the Christmas decorations and we’d be so excited, like, ‘It’s Christmas, Santa Claus!’ – Kline said.

“For as long as I can remember, I always grew up decorating with my parents,” Bonnett said. “And then it just turned into helping Marietta decorate, so I’ve always loved that.”

They both now serve on the Marietta Main Street Committee, which decorates Marietta for the holidays.

Each year, they spend countless volunteer hours preparing the tree on the Armory lawn, organizing holiday events and decorating the downtown area.

Kline said it’s a lot of work.

“Lots of hours,” she said. “For example, last Sunday we worked on Santa’s sleigh that I have in my garage. We probably spent four or five hours and there are four of us working on it.”

The city’s involvement makes that work easier, which Cline and Bonnette said they greatly appreciate.

“Years ago, before the city started laying garlands and wreaths, we had volunteers do it,” Kline said. “It took forever. And I want to thank the city for putting them up and putting up the tree.”

“Yeah, they’re doing a fantastic job helping us,” Bonnett said. “Because we are few and there are not enough hours. Holidays come very quickly and go very quickly, so we need to act quickly.”

Kline and Bonnett said all the work is worth it if they see the difference it makes in the community.

“Being with the family and seeing the decorations and how beautiful they are,” Cline said. “And Santa Claus!”

“It’s really exciting to see the kids’ reactions to some of the activities we do,” Bonnett said.

See an error in our reports? Send us an email at click here!