COLORADO SPRINGS — A tradition is still going strong at the Fourth Judicial District Attorney's (DA) Office in Downtown Colorado Springs.
"In this, display... I've got a little over... 100, figurines and trees and whatnot," said Larry Martin, a Retired Chief of Investigations for the Fourth Judicial DA's Office.
Martin spent 35 years in service at the DA's Office. Every year, he spends a week setting up an interactive display in the Colorado Springs office to bring holiday joy to everyone who walks in the door.
"While I'm in here putting it together, employees come in (and say) 'Oh, great, you're putting the Christmas village together again,'" said Martin. "We really look forward to that every year."
Martin says he has hundreds of Christmas village pieces. The set up at the DA's Office includes about 50 pieces. His mother started the tradition in his family, and Martin kept it going to the delight of his daughter.
"Witnesses come in and want to bring their families back and want to see it," said Martin. "So that's what makes it happy for me... to come in here and build this thing."
One of his favorite parts of this year's set up is a 'Naughty or Nice' Detective Agency, complete with and elf on the roof, checking up on how all the village kids are behaving.
This tradition began under Former District Attorney Dan May. Newly re-elected District Attorney Michael Allen says he's excited to keep it going and loves to see how Martin changes the village for the office each year.
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