The Man Who Recaptured Joy
The cul-de-sac on Lakewood is small — only a couple of homes sit nestled on the shallow inlet that abuts Mirror Lake in the neighborhood of Vanstory Hills.
Most of the year, the small street would go unnoticed. There is nothing that would make this street any different from the next. But just after Thanksgiving, sometime around the beginning of December, a transformation happens at the modest, ranch-style brick house in the middle of the cul-de-sac.
The lawn becomes a sea of lights and characters dressed in red, white or both. Behind a display of at least 70 Christmas inflatables, the house is hardly visible.
At the end of the driveway, a giant red and fully functional letterbox sits perched on the curb with the words "Letters to Santa" written on the front. A gigantic joy sign shines bright on the opposite side of the yard. Its letters stand more than 5 feet tall, with twinkling lights inside each one.
Signs in front of the yard direct passers-by to a radio station they can tune into for a synchronized musical experience.
At this time of year, the home is hard to miss, even from a distance.
Just inside the house, sits Bryan Lake, dressed in a short-sleeve button-up shirt and jeans. His wife, Stephanie, sits beside him, listening to him recount how their yard came to be so decorated. The living room shelves behind them display Christmas Village tiny homes, string lights and puffs of cotton made to look like snow. He has lights and raw wiring strung across the floor near a tree he is working on. Bryan details his history of the love of both Christmas and its decor.
Bryan grew up in what he would refer to as a solidly middle-class family. Even so, he recalls the decorations of his childhood home being more than average.
"It was ingrained in me since childhood," he says, smiling.
During his childhood, Christmas was a special time of family gatherings and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. To this end, he still hangs a lit cross above an empty manger at the end of his display. He would prefer passers-by to remember the reason for the celebration.
At the age of 14, Bryan says, the light-hearted feel of Christmas dimmed.
Bryan sits up straighter on the couch. He starts his sentence, stops and then restarts as his voice trembles softly. Bryan begins to tear up as he tries to get the words out. Stephanie is, too, sure of the story he is starting to tell.
"My mother got sick and passed away. I remember the Christmas before she got sick and then the last Christmas she had — She passed away shortly after."
And for many years after that, Bryan admits, Christmas was different. His world had changed completely.
"Christmas became a pretty depressing time. You put on that happy face, but you struggle with things that you spend a lifetime dealing with, quite frankly. Christmas was a difficult time for me for a lot of years until my kids came along."
Many years later, Bryan would find joy in Christmas again. He and his wife Stephanie purchased an inflatable Minnie and Mickey Mouse for their front lawn in 2013 or 2014.
"That's what started it," Bryan says. "Seeing Christmas again through the eyes of children. That excitement … happiness that I had lost somewhere along the way."
Both Bryan and Stephanie smile at the memory.
"It has come full circle back to where it can be my favorite time of year," he says.
While the original Mickey and Minnie have since been retired, Bryan and Stephanie have held onto them.
Maybe one day, Bryan admits, he'll get them back up and out of disrepair. He is sentimental. He still holds on to an old Christmas tree that belonged to his parents.
His voice breaks a little when he mentions it.
The original inflatables led to a few more inflatables and then more lights. Year after year, Bryan would buy more inflatables on the postseason sales. As packed as his yard is this year, Bryan says he has probably 30 more inflatables that he just hasn't put out yet.
The lights he puts out for Halloween always help him get a jump start on the infrastructure for Christmas, but even still, it's an undertaking.
Bryan takes off most Thursdays and Fridays in November to begin his prep work for the Christmas display. Sometimes, his kids will help, but often, he'll be out during the day or after dark adjusting cords and wires and configuring a diagram for the display.
"It gives me time to think and reflect on some of those childhood memories. Sometimes, it's freezing cold or dark, but I kind of like it. My alone time, I guess."
By the time Bryan completes his display, he has put in more than 150 hours and ends up with 70 inflatables, dozens of lights, and other displays. He plans every year to have it all out by the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
"I don't know the last time I made that," he says lightheartedly of his self-imposed deadline.
A couple of years ago, Bryan switched all the lights to LED. He and Stephanie say they can't tell the difference in their power bill because they have natural gas, and the bill usually drops in the winter anyway.
The best guess they have is a couple hundred dollars. This number is generally surprising for people with the amount of lights and inflatables.
"It's probably too much for her," Bryan says, pointing at Stephanie. He takes a glance over at her and then continues. "It probably crossed the line of tacky a few years ago."
Stephanie smiles as she looks over at Bryan.
"No, it's nice to know that other people enjoy it, and it brings joy to them," Stephanie says.
The Lakes welcome anyone to come by and see the lights. Most nights, it will be up and running until after 10 p.m. The music will mix old and new, spanning about an hour and a half. Bryan might even be seen handing out candy canes to those who exit the vehicles to get a look.
He loves having conversations and discussing Christmas or the lights or music. Every year, Bryan says they will add new things.
There is one thing, however, that will never change about his light show.
Currently on the music lineup is the song "Christmas Shoes." The song details a little boy trying to buy shoes for his dying mother and being unable to do so without the help of a stranger.
Bryan's voice breaks frequently when recalling the story. He sits up straighter, wipes away some tears and readjusts.
"That song always makes people leave. I refuse to take that out of the show," Bryan says.
He stops for a second, pulls his lips in tight and he tries to get his thought out while holding back tears.
“I am the boy in the song."
The Boy Who Tinkers
Just a mile from the Lakes, across Raeford Road, is the home of John and Lacy Kells.
Out front, in the mix of bushes, lights and inflatables, is JP Kells. He walks around the yard, frequently adjusting an inflatable or tweaking a cord.
His mother would say he is tinkering, per usual. Many of the inflatables that surround him are 10 times his size. This does not stop him from adjusting any that aren't standing up straight or fixing the lights on others. As he does this, both cars and walkers pass by his yard.
"You bring us so much joy," says a mom to JP and Lacy while walking her two toddlers to the house.
JP shyly waves to them and smiles. He continues his work around the yard as one of the toddlers runs to see "Snoopy's Tree Lot." JP added that particular part of his light show just this year.
Setting up synchronized light displays and 12-foot inflatables are usually the jobs of grown men, but this will be 12-year-old JP's sixth Christmas assembling his light show.
He was just five when he asked for the control system for the lights as a Christmas present. Much like Bryan Lake, just a mile away, every year since he adds new touches and inflatables.
In the future,JP hopes to add a walk-through element and expand into his neighbor’s yard.
“We are trying to get into there,” JP says pointing toward the adjoining yard. The yard just so happens to belong to his maternal grandparents who live next-door.
“He’s very slowly convincing Gigi to let him expand into their yard,” Lacy says laughing.
JP bounces a little and smiles. His excitement for future plans is palpable. He’s pretty sure he is about to convince his Gigi to use some of her yard.
He has already commandeered the use of his grandparents' basement where, in his spare time, he can be found “tinkering.” JP, who wants to be an engineer when he grows up, has learned a lot through producing his light shows. He has learned to solder and has more knowledge about amps and wires than most boys his age.
“He works on things for months leading up to it. He’s constantly checking wires and fans and outlets and other things,” Lacy says. “It’s a lot.”
As for the design of the yard, the new sections he’ll add or what features he will bring in each year, his mom says it’s all in JP’s head.
“He knows what it will look like before he goes out there."
He and his father, John, will spend nights in November setting up the light show for Christmas. While other holidays can be done in a weekend or even less, Christmas is always an undertaking, JP admits. Like Bryan Lake, it consumes most of JP’s time in-between Halloween and December.
Like most boys, JP already has his Christmas gift list in order. However, unlike most boys, most of it has to do with inflatables or the light show.
“That is what he asks us and both sets of grandparents for … that’s what makes him happy,” says Lacy.
This is the same for his birthday, which falls at the end of October — just in time to put up the Christmas lights show. JP will watch YouTube videos on inflatables or monitor websites on the night of the release of the next year’s inflatable line up.
Each year, a couple weeks before Christmas, JP will also host a hot chocolate fundraiser out of his grandparents' driveway to support a local project. Last year, he raised funds for a local elementary school. The event will entail the light show, hot chocolate goodie bags JP usually makes for the kids that come by.
“We do it to give back,” Lacy says. “We are so fortunate to be able to do this … it’s important to give back.”
As for why JP does it all, his answer is pretty simple.
“I find it fun doing it and it's fun seeing people come by every night.” JP says. “Last night we had a line of cars out there.”
A smile breaks out across his face as he says the last part.
Next year, JP will have a few new inflatables to add to the mix and maybe, just maybe, he’ll convince Gigi that the show requires two yards instead of one.
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