San Jose mother puts up elaborate Halloween display to honor son who passed away

SAN JOSE, Calif. - In years past we've told you about Shelly Jimenez, a San Jose mother who built an elaborate Halloween display for her terminally ill son. Sadly, he passed away this May. But Shelly decided to put the decorations back up this year because she realized it was something she and her entire Willow Glen neighborhood had come to look forward to.

Shelly says putting the display up was almost therapeutic. And she didn't want to disappoint the people who come from far and wide to see it each year.

"I thought about the public and how much it means to them. And I could not let them down. And I couldn't let Chris down," says Jimenez.

This had all been for Christopher, who had cerebral palsy as well as brain and lung damage. His mother, Shelly, made it for him because he loved the motion and the sounds, even as his vision began to fade.

This May, he passed away at the age of 29.

"We cry every day. We talk to him every day and he is missed beyond measure," she says.

In the months since his passing, something else happened too. Christopher's memory and Shelly's decorating ability led to a job.

"My days are pretty empty now. I cared for Chris 24/7 for 29 plus years," she says.

"She told us, 'Well, I haven't ever worked'. I said you have. You just haven't worked for money," says Debbie Degutis, managing director of Christmas in the Park.

Christmas in the Park knew Shelly and her story. In fact, they had helped her out once.

You see, Shelly doesn't just do Halloween, she decorates big for Christmas too. And one year, when a grinch stole her display Christmas in the Park elves stepped in to replace it. And now, they have stepped up once again offering Shelly seasonal work.

"This woman knows how to work. She knows how to get stuff done. And then, quite frankly, she knows how to decorate the hell out of her house. So she's a perfect fit," says Degutis.

Shelly started this week at their warehouse. She can't help but feel this was meant to be.

"I'm a firm believer that things do happen for a reason," she says.

This year's Halloween display has added tributes to Chris. His mother says this is just one way she's keeping his memory alive.

"We have met so many people over the last five years. People that we never would have met if it were not for Chris and the Halloween display. It just makes it all worth it," says Shelly.

The display is on Vernon Avenue in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose.

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