Christmas Décor Gives Back to Military Families

LUBBOCK, Texas — This holiday season, Christmas Décor will be bringing a little extra holiday spirit into the homes of military families for the sixth annual Decorated Family Program.
 
With more than 100,000 American men and women deployed overseas this holiday season, families across the nation are facing the challenge of preparing for the holidays without their loved one. For all that those deployed do for our country; Christmas Décor is giving a little back to the families of these brave men and women.
 
Christmas Décor, a professional holiday and event decorating franchise, began the Decorated Family Program in 2005 after a franchisee attended a holiday dinner party and began to consider all of the men and women overseas who will not be able to celebrate with those they love. The program, now in its sixth season, was created to thank our country's soldiers for their dedication and support by decorating their family's homes.
 
Each holiday, hundreds of Christmas Décor franchisees nationwide participate in this event by donating their products, resources and time to decorate the homes of military families as part of the Decorated Family Program.
 
"It is so rewarding to see how much happiness our decorations bring to these families. For all of the sacrifices their loved ones make for us to have a happy and safe holiday, they are so deserving of some extra holiday cheer," said Blake Smith, President of Christmas Décor.
 
People can nominate deserving military families in their community by filling out the nomination form available on the Christmas Décor fan page on Facebook (http://facebook.com/christmasdecor).  When the form is completed and submitted, it is automatically sent to Christmas Décor Corporate via decoratedfamily@thedecorgroup.com. This form allows people to explain why the family should become a "Christmas Décor Decorated Family." Winners are awarded based on their location (to ensure there is a local franchise to provide the award) and the impact of their story on the judges.  People can also post their Decorated Family stories on the Christmas Décor fan page on Facebook to enter a contest to receive a special prize. The lucky winning family will be the one with the most "like" votes on the Facebook page.
 
"It kind of brought the holidays here because before it was going to be a low-key Christmas," said Kim Chapman of Phenix City, Ga., wife of deployed Serg. C.J. Chapman, a mechanic for the U.S. Army. "Military, they go, they do their thing.  Sometimes they feel forgotten. This made C.J. feel so special. It was a great way to say 'Thank you.'"
 
"It was probably one of the best Christmas present I've ever had. It's pretty much like a dream come true," said Kim's husband, Serg. C.J. Chapman, who was able to see his home decorated briefly upon his arrival home after a tour overseas before having to return to Fort Worth, Ga. for reintegration classes.
 
The gratification is often two-fold. Auburn-based Christmas Décor franchisee, Barry Jowers, expressed his thoughts on decorating the Chapman's home for the holidays, saying, "It's really humbling to see how appreciative someone can be like that. I got a lot of out of it. Just seeing how happy she (Kim Chapman) was, it makes me tear up."