Clayton — Dwayne Mullins thinks no one loves Christmas more than his wife, Susan. One look at the couple’s Page Street home and visitors see why. On the outside are 10 green wreaths, bows of shimmering red and gold and sparkling vines of artificial berries, fruits and apples entwined in fresh greenery.

Candles in jars filled with peppermint line the front walkway. A box that Dwayne’s father used to store shoeshine supplies now hold pinecones.

One Christmas tree is not enough for Susan, who has four trees to mark the holiday. A “Santa Tree,” wrapped in gold lights, sits on the front porch. Susan used a plush Santa head for the tree topper. She wrapped a black belt around the middle of the tree. For arms and legs, she cut up a red sweater and white scarf. Dwayne’s hunting boots sit on the bottom of the tree.

Susan’s hard work paid off this year. She won Best Overall in Clayton’s Downtown Residential Decorating Contest. Anonymous judges outside of Johnston County looked at all of the decorated homes from Robertson Street to U.S. 70 Business.

“I was very honored and excited about it, but this year, I felt like I hadn’t done that much as far as decorating in years past,” Susan said. “When they said I had won, I guess it was like, ‘Gosh, I’ve got to give something for people to look at. I’ve got to do a little something extra. The last two or three days, I’ve done some things to spice it up.”

Dwayne thinks otherwise of his wife’s achievement. “She has been doing the same thing for 15 or 16 years,” he said. “She will work miracles with a shoestring budget. She’s been recognized for her talent, and it is well deserved. I am tickled to death for her.”

The judges noted that the Mullinses’ “small details add up to the overall appeal.” In particular, the judges were impressed with five lighted balls hanging on the front porch. Susan bought the balls at a Christmas shop in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and used wire hangers to hang cedar around the outside.

“All through the years, I’ll get little ideas by visiting Christmas shops, or I’ll go to Barnes & Noble and pull out magazines looking for ideas,” Susan said. “I can’t wait for the Southern Living Christmas issue to come out. I go to the local florists and Christmas shows.”

Decorating for Christmas has become a big family tradition in the Mullins home. Allen Mullins, who is attending the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, comes home and helps his dad unload dozens of boxes in the attic. Katie Mullins, a sophomore at Clayton High School, enjoys decorating the trees with her mother. Even Roxy, the family dog, walks around in a snug Santa costume. Often, the Mullins family goes to the home of Susan’s sister, two doors down, to swap decorating ideas.

“The following year after Katie was born, Susan had the biggest Christmas here, and I mean, she decked the halls,” Dwayne said. “We were a struggling family, but as things have gone on the last 16 years, she’ll add, she’ll buy, she’ll want and she’ll get. That is why we tease her about the boxes. The boxes keep growing in the attic.”