CHESAPEAKE, Va. — “I found this lovely Clark Griswold on clearance, just like my daddy taught me,” Demetra Frink said.
Frink’s dad shopped all year for great deals on Christmas decorations.
“My dad loved this holiday and he went all out,” she said. “Growing up, our house was always the brightest on the block. The newspaper even featured our house in a story.”
“He was always a kid about Christmas,” she said. “I always describe my dad as one of Peter Pan’s Lost Boys. It was a joy to have a dad who was always a child at heart.”
Sadly, her father died unexpectedly two years ago. She inherited hundreds of decorations that she proudly displays at her home in the South Norfolk neighborhood.
Putting up all the lights brings back fond memories of decorating with her dad, Frink said. “He’d start on one end of the line and I’d start on the other, and we’d be testing each bulb. Not only were we spending quality time, but I was learning a trade. That’s how I’m able to keep everything repaired and going,” she said.
And in the season of giving, Frink is continuing her dad’s tradition of giving back to the community by raising money for charity.
“This year we were able to do 2,770 meals for the Virginia Peninsula Food Bank alone,” she said.
Frink is making spirits brighter by honoring her Christmas-loving dad; together, they embodied the spirit of the holidays.
“He was definitely Clark W. Griswold Jr.,” she said.
