If the Grinch were to steal Christmas from Ames, his first stop would be Mary Young’s house.

Anyone driving to Wal-Mart or to North Grand Mall is sure to slow down for a second look at the Christmas decor in the yard of 87-year-old Mary Young, who lives at 1329 Grand Ave.

Young has been brightening Ames for the past 11 years with her numerous decorations.

“I’m into poinsettias this year, inside and out,” she said.

Young said she puts all of the decorations up herself. She also makes the majority of them, adding to the display each year. This year’s decorations include several holiday flowers on the lawn, angels, a sleigh and lights in all the windows.

The back yard is not left in the dark, either.

“Her back yard is just as pretty as the front with lights and things,” said Olga Engler, Young’s neighbor at 1405 Grand Ave.

Young said she has no idea how many lights are actually strung, but they are put “any place I can plug them in.”

“The inside is as bad as the outside,” she said with a laugh.

Christmas decorating begins the day after Thanksgiving for Young. She said it takes two days to complete.

Engler said Young has really outdone herself this year.

“This Christmas is quite outstanding,” she said. “She changed it from last year and it really is pretty. It’s a pleasant view from my house to look around and see it.”

Engler said other neighborhood homes are lit up for the holidays, but their displays do not match the elaborateness of Young’s.

“None of it compares to her and the work she puts in to show it,” Engler said, “She’s a very caring person.”

But Christmas is not the only season or reason Young decorates. She celebrates all holidays with decorations, and when there is no holiday approaching, she creates her own theme. In the fall, her yard is decked with wooden Ames High football players.

Young has four children — two daughters in Ames, a son in Knoxville, Tenn., and a daughter in Baton Rouge, La. Although they do not all see her holiday creations, she said they are welcomed by aliens that line the sidewalk when they gather for her birthday on July 26.

The aliens have no particular purpose, Young said, and are “just something to fill in in-between.”

All the hard work Young puts into her displays every year is paid off in compliments, she said.

A few months ago, a “dear sweet lady” even wrote a letter to the editor in the Ames Tribune to praise Young for her efforts.

“I just enjoy doing it,” Young said. “It keeps me busy and I think a lot of people like them.”

Engler said she is impressed with Young’s talent.

“For a woman her age to do all that decorating herself, I think it’s really something,” Engler said.