TAMPA, Fla. -- You may have already started, but for many the first step of the holiday season is putting up their Christmas tree.
- Clara Scroggins is selling her large ornament collection
- Scroggins is known as the Queen of Christmas
- Health issues forced her to part with the collection
But, where's the best place to get your ornaments?
For some people, it's right here in Tampa at the home of a woman known to have one of the largest ornament collections in the world.
Almost every ornament you can think of is available at Clara Scroggins' home – from simple ones to high-end designer creations from Fabergé and Versace.
Matthew Smith made the trip from Washington state just to pick up some Hallmark ornaments.
"I've collected Hallmark since 1993," Smith said.
There were hundreds of thousands of ornaments spread out throughout the house. And for Scroggins, each one has a special meaning.
"I wanted my son and my grandchildren's name on here and they did that," she said.
Scroggins started collecting all these ornaments nearly 50 years ago after her husband died suddenly right before Christmas.
Her friends gave her second-edition ornaments at the time, and she wanted to find the first edition.
"When I was a child I loved Christmas I was born on New Year's Day," Scroggins said.
At one point she had a million ornaments, which garnered her the nickname "The Queen of Christmas."
She even got to travel the country with Hallmark to show off her collection, wrote books, and was featured in magazines.
"It was exciting, to be a cover girl," Scroggins said.
It's a time she remembers fondly, but health complications have forced her to sell her collection, with the help of the team from Caring Transitions.
It's not easy but Scroggins hopes her ornaments will bring others the same joy they brought her.
"I think it brings Christmas into the home. More than dinner does," she said.
Caring Transitions has had two estate sales now and there are still ornaments left. The organization is planning another one in a few weeks.
You can find out more about the next sale on the organization's website.
