Joanne Gerace has owned Tiny's Grill in Utica for more than 30 years. In 1994, she went looking for a new decoration.

“I went to the store and I saw him and went, ‘Oh my gosh, that would be perfect for the mantle,’ so I bought him," Gerace says, holding her first nutcracker. "Then when I got him up there he looked a little lonely, so I got a few more.”

Calling her collection 'a few more' is quite an understatement. Tiny’s Grill is home to more than 700 nutcrackers. It’s the second-largest collection in the U.S., only smaller than the nutcracker museum in Washington. She says there’s enough for pretty much anyone to come in and find themselves within the collection.

“A first responder came in and said ‘I don’t see a doctor,’" Gerace says, walking to find a specific nutcracker. "I said ‘I have a doctor - I have a doctor right here."

She’s got full displays of firefighters, police, athletes, leprechauns, Santas, and even Elvis to name a few. Gerace says her favorite thing is she can inspire new collectors.

“I’ve already gotten two nutcrackers from children [this year]. They’ve gifted them to me, thanking me for having the nutcrackers out and say they’ve started their own collections," said Gerace.

She doesn’t just put these gifts up on a shelf and forget about them. She knows where each one is and who it came from.

Normally people would stop by at any time to see the collection, but COVID-19 means you’ll need a reservation. Gerace says limiting visitors hurts, but she says even one look of wonder makes the whole season worth it.

“It’s very heartwarming. Sometimes I get a lump in my throat. You can’t hug people anymore," Gerace says, "These kids, for them to have that respect and to have them thinking of giving is tremendous.”

The collection isn’t up all year round, this year it took two weeks to get everything in place. The collection will be up until March.