To say Dawn Fisher loves Christmas doesn't quite capture it. For her, the holiday isn't just a season; it's a way of life. For nearly 30 years, Dawn has poured her creativity and sparkle into designing the enchanting displays at the National Christmas Center, helping countless visitors feel the magic she's always cherished.

"I've always loved Christmas," she said with a smile. "I love glittery decorations. I really like decorating inside. Outside, not so much - but inside, I just love building displays."

Dawn, who lives in Millersville, has a background in art and design. After years as an interior designer and antique shop owner in Columbia, she discovered her knack for festive window displays, one that soon led her to a new opportunity at the National Christmas Center, which opened in 1998. Her first big project at the center became her greatest joy.

"I was in charge of setting up Tudor Towne," she said, describing the walk-through storybook scenes of animatronic woodland creatures preparing for the holidays. "That was and has always been my pride and joy."

She soon became close friends with Jim Morrison, the curator of the National Christmas Center, whom she describes as a mentor. They worked together for decades until Dawn took a step back in 2014. Morrison, who passed away in 2024, closed his business in early 2018, and David Abel bought the site's contents. While Dawn thought she might be permanently done with the business, Abel had other ideas.

He invited Dawn to come back and be a part of his vision to reopen the National Christmas Center on the grounds of Stone Gables Estate in Elizabethtown, a property he owns.

At the time, Dawn was a full-time caregiver for her husband of 46 years, Bob. His health was deteriorating, and she wasn't sure she could commit to working for Abel. She agreed to help pack up the original National Christmas Center site's contents in preparation for the move, but nothing more.

Then, just a few months later, Bob passed away. Dawn decided the timing was right to help Abel with more than just packing up, and she agreed to assist with the design of the new site.

Work is underway to give the National Christmas Center a permanent home inside the restored 40,000-square-foot Barns of Belmont, historic buildings dating back to 1867. Originally located on Fruitville Pike in Lancaster, the barns were saved from demolition by Abel, who had them carefully dismantled and moved to storage in preparation of placing them on-site at Stone Gables Estate.

In the meantime, visitors can enjoy the reimagined National Christmas Center along Route 230 just outside of Elizabethtown. It will open for the season on Friday, Nov. 21.

While the current home is temporary and includes some limitations such as no on-site parking (visitors park at 48 Industrial Road, Elizabethtown, and take a free shuttle to the center), it has room to feature almost all of the elements of the original National Christmas Center.

Dawn, who has never worked full time for the National Christmas Center, dedicates countless hours creating displays, which change yearly.

"One of my favorite rooms is the 1950s," Dawn said. "It's very popular with people because it's nostalgic."

Decorations, Nativities and Santas from around the world can be found in other rooms, along with a life-size recreation of a Woolworth store at Christmas; the walk-through Tudor Towne; replicas of storefronts of Columbia from the past; rooms dedicated to Lancaster County history; and life-size models that depict the birth of Christ.

There are a few non-holiday displays as well. Abel, who is a Titanic enthusiast, has included a room dedicated to the ship, complete with an oversize model.

But most of the space is focused on the holiday.

"We're all about the magic and memories of Christmas - mostly the magic," Dawn said. "Much of what we have is just charming. It makes you feel happy to be here."

Being a Christmas decorator has a few occupational hazards, she noted, and it can lead to intrusive thoughts when she sees displays elsewhere she doesn't like.

"I'm such a critic," she said with a laugh. "I was at a funeral at a church one time, and it was all I could do not to get up during the service and try to fix the bows they had displayed."

Now 72, Dawn said she has no plans to retire from her decorating days.

"I'll stop only when I can't walk and my hands are too stiff to move," she stated.

While she's no doubt a huge fan of Christmas, Dawn said her love for the National Christmas Center runs even deeper than her love for the holiday.

"You know how Taylor Swift says she dreams about her songs, and then she writes them?" Dawn said. "I dream up Christmas displays. ... Christmas comes and goes. I don't think about Christmas year-round, but I do think about the National Christmas Center."

To learn more about the National Christmas Center, visit http://www.nationalchristmascenter.com.