“Lights of JOY”

Holiday Lights

One of my family’s favorite holiday traditions is visiting a variety of Christmas light displays. We enjoy the different collections, music, activities, and hot chocolate at the end. We love driving around other neighborhoods and seeing the many decorations on people’s houses. The kids’ faces light up with joy, and the season’s spirit shines.

This year we visited a new place where one household decorates their front yard for the public to see. This spectacular house uses over one million lights, has different decorations that do a light show to music, and has bands play on the weekends. However, the most beautiful part of this display is knowing the homeowners do this event each year to honor their mother, who has since passed.

The Story

“Lights of Joy” have brought smiles, memories, and new traditions to many families, including mine. This night of lights got its name from the homeowner’s mom, who was affectionately nicknamed “Joy.” They say she was a joy to be around, could light up a room, and served her community until her passing.

In keeping with their late mother’s commitment to the community, they host “Lights of Joy” free to the public. The light tradition started in 1988, with just one tree being decorated. Each year, the homeowners added more lights and decorations, and in 2017 added music and synchronized them to different trees with lights. To date, it is an event one must see to believe. It is truly a walk through a winter wonderland with the twinkle of a night sky.

This walkthrough event has been a staple for the public for over two decades and adds more excitement year. We take our time walking through the lights and tend to pass through multiple times. They have captured the spirit of the holidays, which shows in the many families visiting the display, taking pictures, and seeing the most wonderful time of year through our kid’s eyes.

We can’t wait to visit again next year, create more family memories, and carry on the traditions of seeing millions of Christmas lights each year.