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Christmas transforms Cascade home into 'Winterville'

Many of the displays we've featured this year have incredible lights on the outside, but at the Ward home in Cascade, the magic happens on the inside.

She made her living molding young minds at Creston High School in Grand Rapids. But now that she's retired, Doris Ward is keeping herself busy by decorating the beautiful home she and her husband Ira built decades ago.

The Wards have an incredible display on the inside of their home, including eight Christmas trees and a Christmas village known as "Winterville."

Doris and Ira have been married for 50 years, and for them, family is everything. That's why you can find tributes to loved ones throughout the home.

The original Christmas tree is decorated with keepsakes highlighting the couple's children. There is a display made up entirely of angels, which is a nod to Doris' mom, who passed away when Doris was just 15 years old. And new this year, there are two churches sent to West Michigan from Las Vegas, where one of Doris' sister lives.

But the thing I noticed right away as I walked up to the Ward home was "Winterville." It's an impressive Christmas village in the corner of the kitchen, which features dozens of ceramic buildings. Many of the buildings and figures were painted by Doris herself. It was given the name "Winterville" by her granddaughter.

So how long does it all take? Doris says she starts decorating the second week of October and from start to finish, "Winterville" takes about four hours to complete.

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Matt Gard is the Senior Producer of 13 ON YOUR SIDE Mornings. If you have a story idea, you can contact him on Twitter, @mgard_wzzm13 or by email, MattGard@13ONYOURSIDE.com.

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