Dalene Lemberes has lived in Paramount for just over a year, yet her love for Christmas has brought delight to the holiday season for over four decades. Dalene is a professional Christmas stager (decorator) and a McCall native where some described her as the "heartbeat of McCall," and the place she started most of her Christmas traditions. With a passion for Christmas and a genuinely warm personality, Dalene has organized hundreds of holiday gatherings, both large-scaled events and intimate gatherings. She acquired many of her early decorations just before or just after Christmas, and today her collection has grown to need over 300 storage boxes to be contained during off-season.
Dalene enjoys living in Paramount and has made many new friends and neighbors. Now most of Dalene's holiday celebrations are held in Paramount as well - and we couldn't be happier! Her Paramount Holiday Party, an annual event where she invites the entire neighborhood to her home for a full spread of Christmas appetizers and treats, delighted over 70 Paramount residents this year and she hopes for an even larger attendance next year. The word is spreading, as she has had nearly a dozen separate groups stop by for impromptu tours of her beautiful, festive home, as well.
Always mindful of how blessed we are, Dalene also gives back to the community. This year she and a small group of volunteers donated materials and time to decorate two separate nursing homes for the holiday season.
Paramount has many fascinating residents and we hope to continue sharing their stories of generosity and kindness in 2011. Merry Christmas!