When Noble Ing fell off his ladder about five years ago, his wife told him he had to stop putting up Christmas displays in the yard. She even instructed the neighbors to watch him in case he sneaked up the ladder while she was away. It was like telling Santa Claus to stop coming down the chimney.

"Like all stubborn men who don't listen to their wives, he decided to keep the display up all year long," said his daughter, Josie.

You have to understand that Noble Ing takes his Christmas responsibilities seriously. He is the chronicler of the characters that inhabit the world of kids. Just because he's 89 doesn't mean he's grown up. He's been hiding Waldo ever since Waldo popped up in American pop culture. And every year, kids come to Ing's yard to find out "Where's Waldo?" this year.

I'll give you a hint. To find Waldo this year, don't look down, look up.

Every new character in the world of kids finds its way to Ing's yard on Christmas. Go to 2331 Booth Road and see for yourself. The display is all lit up and waiting. Ing explained how he got started. At first, in 1957, he had only the nativity scene.

The next year he added plywood cutouts of Charlie Brown and his friends. It was like turning a switch. Crowds gathered. From then on, there was a new character almost every year. Lilo and Stitch are among the latest.

Fortunately, daughter Darlene's hobby is art. She sketches the figures for Ing's sons to cut out. So the Christmas display is a family affair. Noble and the kids do the yard. His wife does the inside of the house featuring a pure white, revolving Christmas tree in the picture window.

In Darlene's workshop, the Seven Dwarfs are lined up for repainting. Waiting in the wings are Charlie Brown, Linus, the Sesame Street gang and Popeye. The Simpson family, characters from the Lion King, Snow White, the Ghostbusters, Batman and the Little Mermaid are scattered around the yard.

Ing celebrated Mickey Mouse's 60th birthday in 1988. He introduced the Phantom of the Opera in 1993. In 1998, the Titanic appeared on top of the house, and Ing congratulated the Rainbow Warriors basketball team, which had a great season.

Buses bring Japanese tourists up Pauoa Valley to take photos of American Christmas decorations. The busiest time is a week before Christmas.

The war in Iraq has sobered Ing a little. This year, he's displaying an American flag that has flown over the nation's capitol and a photo of himself with Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawai'i. A sign says, "It is our great desire to have all the deployed men and women home soon."

Reach Bob Krauss at 525-8073.