December 18, 2017
To get into the holiday spirit each Christmas season, maintenance worker Tony Newman regularly puts on a show of over 30,000 lights at his home. Newman has been decorating his home for over 20 years.
“I started small, with just a few strings and it’s just gotten bigger over the years,” Newman said. “I thought it would be fun for my boys. I started decorating for them.”
Newman’s family regularly helps with the decorating. His wife, Kim Newman, does her part in helping by painting all of the cutouts herself. And while Newman mainly remains in charge of electrical work and wiring, he is able to use the time to bond with his sons, as they help set up the lights.
“I think that’s a good way to keep us all bonded together,” Kim said.
According to Tony, the process of decorating is no easy task, and it takes up quite a bit of time, effort and room. He typically begins decorating the day after Halloween and attempts to finish by Black Friday. He owns a 20 by 30 storage unit with the sole purpose of housing the decorations in their off season.
Despite the intensive labor involved, Tony and his wife remain unfazed by the difficulty of the work, as the two love seeing the fruits of their labor. According to Kim, the two consider their display their gift to one another, and enjoy working on it together. In fact, they feel that creating the display serves as a better Christmas gift than a traditional gift would
“This is more fun and we can share it with a lot more people than just between us,” Kim said.
The influence of the bright display can be felt throughout the neighborhood, as the houses around them are starting to participate in decorating for the holidays as well.
“[They add] more and more every year, so we have more neighbors decorating now,” Kim said.
Of course, as the most extravagant, the Newman household remains a favorite in the neighborhood. It receives regular visits from neighbors and passer-bys and is considered a must-see stop for visitors and holiday light tours. Newman’s home is featured on several websites dedicated to covering homes with grand holiday displays.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Tony said. “We have a burn pit, and we sit out there and visit with the people who stop by. There is a lot of limos and party buses that come by.”
Kim and her husband greatly enjoy having people stop by their house and talk to them while marveling at the lights.
“I love the effect that it has when everyone comes to see it. Their faces — especially the little ones,” Kim said. “We have four granddaughters now and they get so excited.”
Many families look forward to the lights, and visit the display every year.
“They just love it — they say that it is amazing. A lot of people come out and take pictures in front of the lawn.” Tony said.
Christmas is a favorite for the Newman household, and decorations bring the entire family together.
“It just makes us happy,” Kim said. ”It’s just Christmas and you get into the spirit of Christmas with this.”
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Description
Will Wagner primarily works as an A&E reporter.
Activities
Wagner's hobbies include working on cars and swimming competitively.
Career Aspirations
Due to his love for cars, Wagner plans to pursue a career in automotive engineering.
