HOLOPAW, Fla. – A mobile home in Holopaw is decked out in cheer this holiday season despite the pandemic.

What You Need To Know

  • Rick Mark's mobile home is all deck out this holiday season

  • Mark started the tradition four years ago

  • He also has gifts he gives to the children

The man behind the efforts to give kids a Christmas a little early is today’s Everyday Hero.

For Rick Mark, decking the halls for the holidays is fun. Nothing was going to stop him from having a Christmas celebration for everyone, not even a pandemic.

It’s a tradition he started four years ago.

“Takes us about a month, give or take,” he said. “Christmas has always been my favorite, as a kid I enjoyed Christmas. I guess it all stemmed from that.”

All gifts curated for each child, about 100 of them and while they wait for Santa, they enjoyed the Christmas route along with the bounce houses. Mark is so dedicated, he grew a real beard is specifically for the season.

“Were you thinking about not doing this because of the pandemic, no not really, we do this every year whether people show up or not,” he explains. “And it’s dyed specifically for that, I started growing my beard in July.”

No effort is too big to make this celebration happen. On average, to put on this event, it’s about $3,000.

Mark says every year the festivities get bigger and better and looks forward to doing it in the future. ​