Elaborate holiday light displays are making spirits bright in a big way

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow might be enough to brighten some homes this holiday season. But others are adorned with thousands of blinking lights synched to blasting music, drawing crowds and bolstering both holiday and community spirit.

In a cul-de-sac in Mesa, Arizona, 14 homeowners have been going all-out on holiday lights for the last 30 years in a tradition that hasn’t been diminished by real estate turnover.

Those buying homes in the neighborhood often find the attics full of décor left behind as a gift from the previous owners, and despite cultural and religious differences, residents come together to create a festival of lights, Stephanie Castillo Price said.

“Everybody has been able to take their interpretation of the holidays and put it into a full circle,” she said. “There’s not somebody that’s going to walk down the street and not feel included.”

In Santa Clarita, California, residents of Wakefield Court decided to coordinate their holiday light displays as a way to bring some joy to their community after an earthquake. Now in its 30th year, the Wakefield Winter Wonderland includes inflatable figures and wooden cutouts of a variety of characters, from Mickey Mouse to Homer Simpson.

Bryan Cobb admits he initially was against buying a home in the neighborhood when he and his wife first viewed it.

“She started crying and said, ‘But this is the Christmas street! I want to live there!’” he said. “She got her way. We live here, we love it. All the neighbors bond together.”

In Edmond, Oklahoma, those looking to the western sky will easily spot the Miranda family's elaborate holiday light display featuring images and music from the movie "Wicked." Spotlights reminiscent of movie studio lights shoot up from the roof, while a singing witch's face takes shape across a towering tree.

“It just seemed like the perfect fit with a light show because you can really do the drama with the lights,” said Elisabeth Miranda, who handles the programming while her husband, Mark, tackles installation. “It takes a very long time to set up. Every single bulb has a spot, a place, a number, so that when we program it, it does exactly what it needs to do at the right time.”

The family started putting up holiday lights in 2015 and saw a surge in traffic after being featured on ABC’s “The Great Christmas Light Fight.” While most neighbors have been supportive, a few complaints prompted the couple to take a few years off before returning with a better plan to limit viewing hours and control traffic.

This year, they are collecting donations for the Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police.

“They give so much back to our community, so that’s our little way of saying thank you to them for everything they do for us,” Miranda said.

Charity also is a component in Las Vegas, where Laura Walters and Lenny Standish are closing in on a four-year goal of collecting 10,000 pairs of socks and underwear for organizations that help homeless people.

Their display started during the COVID-19 pandemic with a single Christmas tree for community members to add ornaments. This year, they have three snow machines in addition to the lights and music.

“People are looking for joy,” Walters said. “Our world is a tough place. So to be able to just come and feel just an incredible amount of love and happiness — it’s peaceful. We’ve never had one problem here at all. Everyone’s been highly respectful of our home and full of gratitude.”

Richard Taylor of Kennesaw, Georgia, estimates that more than 40,000 people visit his display of 1.2 million lights each year.

“We bring joy to a lot of people,” he said. “They walk around and they forget all their problems, and they just enjoy themselves.”

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Associated Press video journalists Ty ONeil in Las Vegas, Ross Franklin in Arizona, Ron Harris in Georgia and Marcio Sanchez in California contributed to this report.