The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
‘It’s going to be close’
Brief reprieve for ‘Christmas House’ eviction means family is packing
TORRINGTON — The Merriman family's request to delay an ejection notice for the “Christmas House” was approved through March 17 by Superior Court Judge John Pickard.
“I have 275 boxes (packed) so far, 300 more to go,” Ron Merriman said as he appeared in Torrington Superior Court Monday.
He had asked the court to delay the ejection until the end of March.
“The whole second floor is packed up,” he told the judge. “I can be out of there,” by late next month.
“These are all collectibles,” Merriman explained to the judge about the possessions he is packing up. “They’re worth thousands of dollars.”
Attorney Deborah Dorio of Farmington, who represents the mortgage holder, Webster Bank, told the judge her firm would agree to a twoweek extension.
“It’s going to be close,” Merriman said, about meeting the new deadline to clear out the family’s possessions.
The home at 285-287 Main St. was built in 1900. Property records show the interior of multifamily house covers more 2,000 square-feet of living space.
Merriman and his family had been told on Feb. 21 that they had less than two weeks to vacate the “Christmas House,” according to a document that was served to them by a state marshal.
When Merriman received the ejection notice, he filed for a request to stay the action. The hearing was granted as a “write-in” appearance, the judge said when calling the foreclosure case Monday.
Dorio didn’t return a call for comment on Monday. She has previously said the firm would not comment on the case.
The rambling, historic house was sold at a foreclosure auction in early November for just over $22,800 to Webster Bank. The bank was the only bidder.
Merriman’s sister, Donna, and his 87-year-old mother, Alice, are also preparing for the move, Donna Merriman said Monday afternoon.
She began looking for housing soon after the bank auction occurred. The mother and daughter have found a place to live, at least “for now,” Donna Merriman said, in a lowincome development owned by the city’s Housing Authority.
“I’ve packed up my stuff, it’s about half packed,” Donna Merriman said. She added that she also wished they had until the end of March, as had been requested.
For three decades, the family has offered tours of their home decorated with thousands of Christmas characters, animated Santa Clauses, and what Ron Merriman says is one of the largest nutcracker collections in the region.
“I’ll bring the display back in another town,” he said.
The effort to force the family to leave the house for lack of mortgage payments has been ongoing for more than a year. In November, as the family faced an “execution for ejectment,” — a type of eviction, Superior Court Judge Dan Shaban stated in the order that the eviction would not be granted prior to Jan. 1.
However, Shaban said in the order, “The defendant has had well over a year to seek alternatives to foreclosure through both the assistance of the court, and individually, but has been unsuccessful. Even with the ability to do so, he has failed to actively market the property himself. The defendant has failed to cooperate with the committee which, had he done so, might otherwise have helped secure a higher purchase price for the property.”
A lien by the city of Torrington was placed on the property to recover unpaid taxes, according to Webster Bank documents. In addition, the Water Pollution Control Authority is owed for sewer use fees, which date back to 2014.
The electric bill to keep the 15,000 or so outdoor Christmas lights lit for a month is about $1,000, Ron Merriman has said.