All: 3...2...1!
Narrator: It’s a sweet, wintery treat...
That is a real gingerbread house!
...as four families face off...
These are professional penguin hockey players right here.
...in a Christmas competition that will "blow" you away.
The largest blow-mold train station in the U.S.
Way too cool!
And Judge Carter Oosterhouse...
This is like something you would see in an amusement park.
...hands out the next $50,000 prize.
This is the best night ever!
So "camel" ye faithful...
Chris: That’s Kevin, the Christmas Camel. Carter: Come on!
...and get your ducks in a row for the holidays.
This is like a zoo.
Because "The Great Christmas Light Fight"...
This is incredible!
...is on.
What do the neighbors think?
They think we’re crazy. Yeah.
That’s all right.
-- Captions by VITAC --
♪♪
We are the Richards family from Columbia, Missouri.
You call this a gingerbread house?
All: This is a gingerbread house!
Christmas, to me, means putting a smile on everybody’s face
and making it a magical place for children.
Whatever candy that’s on a gingerbread house,
we’re gonna try to do it.
The theme for the Richards family display
is the gingerbread house,
and we create that by putting amber lights
on all four sides of the house and covering it in candy.
Need a pink, a yellow, and a blue.
Red and white swirls stay over here on the red tree.
Usually takes us about two months
to put up over 350,000 lights.
It’s looking good!
This gingerbread display has
all kinds of activities for kids.
Sarah: We have a trampoline, we have a beach scene,
we have an igloo, we have the Quack Shack.
This is a big night. [ Ducks quack ]
Let’s do this.
Carter is gonna be floored.
He’s seen a lot of displays,
but not one quite like the Richards' gingerbread house.
♪♪
Whoo!
♪♪
Sarah: We're so excited!
Guys, guys! Here comes Carter!
[ All cheer ] Carter: What's up?
Merry Christmas!
How y'all doing?
Hey, what's going on? Wow!
I love the outfits. Oh, my gosh.
Tell me a little bit about yourselves.
I’m Sarah, I’m the mom. This is my daughter, Anniston.
Hello. This is Parker.
How you doing? This is Bryan.
-Hi. -Nice to meet you.
And we are crazy Christmas people.
Crazy Christmas people? All right. Yes.
You’re gonna see our ordinary home
transformed into a real-life gingerbread house. I like that.
We have it covered in lights and candy everywhere,
right on into the backyard.
Do you guys love being a part of this?
Of course. I love it, and I just love Christmas.
-Yeah? -All right, Carter.
Are you ready to turn these lights on?
Absolutely.
We’re gonna start here with this gumdrop
that you’re going to press -- lights on.
I love it. You guys ready?
All: Yeah! All right!
Let's count it down. Here we go, in...
All: 3...2...1!
♪♪
[ All cheer ] ♪ We live in a gingerbread house ♪
♪ With window frames made from candy canes ♪
♪ And the lollipop on top ♪
Oh, my gosh. That's so great.
That is a real gingerbread house!
And I love the soft-colored lights on the house. Sarah: Thank you!
♪ We don’t care what the neighbors say ♪
♪ We'd have it no other way ♪
♪ Yes, we live in a gingerbread house ♪
[ All cheer ]
You guys wanna get in there and check it out?
-Let’s go! -Let's go!
Come on! Sarah: Let's go!
Come on!
♪ Ba, ba-ba-ba ♪
♪ Ba-ba-ba-ba ♪
♪ Ba, ba, ba ♪
♪ Ba ♪ Your home looks like a gingerbread house,
and all these sort of soft white lights
you have on here, that looks so good.
The roofline looks fantastic. It looks like it’s fake.
How many lights do you have?
Sarah: 350,000 at least.
That is so many lights!
We lost count, so it could be a lot more.
Oh, look at this!
We got an arrow over here. There is more to see.
It goes right on into the backyard. Wow!
[ Chuckles ] Oh, my God. This is the candy cane tunnel.
What?! We have candy cane lights.
We have candy canes over here.
We have our gingerbread men with their little gingerbread house.
Oh, my gosh. This is gorgeous.
It’s a great entrance, and just seeing all the pathways.
And then you have all these great little lanes in here.
Yeah. This is the gumdrop path
that led us here to the beach.
This is my daughter’s personal touch.
What? This is the best beach ever.
You have real sand, and you have palm trees,
the umbrella.
What is going on here?
I love the beach, and it just gives me beach vibes, so...
Nice. I love beach vibes.
[ Giggles ] It’s like I’m in Hawaii right now.
The beach vibes are here in Missouri, big time.
Well done.
♪♪
Candy Cane Lane! And you lead up to a trampoline? Parker: Yeah.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a trampoline
being used in a display before.
Kids love it. Sarah: They love to get in there.
It just adds to the excitement.
How many people come through your display?
Thousands, from all over.
Kansas City. Really?
Sometimes Springfield. Yeah.
Just to bounce on the old trampoline
in the back over here, right?
[ Train whistle blows ]
You have an igloo. And this is a big igloo, too.
Another feature we have here for kids.
This igloo was a jungle gym once upon a time.
You add some cable ties and some net lights,
blue and white, to make it look like snow and ice.
Bryan made the PVC arch to make it appear as an igloo,
and it’s melting into the little river.
You don’t want the igloo to melt,
but yet it’s cool because you have that little feature.
What I love about your display --
it is so interactive for kids.
Kids will jump right in.
They dance. They absolutely love it.
The other night, someone said, "This is the best night ever!"
And that’s what it's all about.
♪♪
Oh, you got, like, a miniature gingerbread house.
What is going on in here?
Just hanging out at the Quack Shack.
[ Chuckles ] The Quack Shack?
Why is it called the Quack Shack?
Well, we got a couple friends in here.
[ Ducks quack ]
There's ducks. Oh, my God!
You guys have so many things
that are just blowing my mind right now
and I was not expecting to see.
Hey, wait, wait, wait, wait. Ducks, come here.
Come here, come here.
-They’re fine. -Hey, guys.
They just walk the trails. They just have fun.
Carter: What are their names?
Sarah: This is Peep and Lightning.
The children always want to see Peep and Lightning,
and say, "Can we let them loose?"
And they walk around, and they follow them.
And sometimes the ducks follow the kids.
That is so much fun.
They’re just part of the display.
I don’t know why, but you just, like,
made my day with these two.
Just another surprise.
Hey, guys, you wanna keep going with us?
[ Ducks quack ] Wanna keep walking with us?
[ Chuckles ] You gonna stay there?
♪♪
What area is this?
Our candy trees.
So many cool things you guys have in your display.
Do people actually just take the candy?
-Absolutely. -Yeah.
Can I have one of these?
-Absolutely. -Yes, absolutely.
You guys provide so many fun little moments here.
The display is not over yet.
We have one big surprise left for you.
I love surprises.
♪♪
All right, Carter. This is the big surprise.
If you want to push this door open.
Carter: What is going on here?
Yeah -- What?!
This is amazing! A secret forest.
Oh, my gosh, this is so cool.
This is the coolest spot for a kid hangout.
And I did not think this was coming at all.
Welcome to the fort. What do you mean, the fort?
The kids come out here and enjoy the scenery.
You created the coolest little hangout,
like, sneaky space.
We made it about two years ago.
Parker and I came out here and built the fort.
And you just used pallets for the walls, too.
It gives a nice partition, but you can still see through them.
Right. It’s really cool. Got the floor joists under there.
Can I go up in it? Absolutely.
This is awesome.
Oh, my gosh!
This is amazing up here!
This is so cool, you guys.
I’m so impressed by what you’ve created.
Wow! This is really impressive.
I love when people take a different,
unique approach to their Christmas display.
At every stop, there was something new
that I’ve never seen before.
I feel like my 12-year-old self
would love this display even more.
Did you have fun?
-So much fun. -So much.
There were so many cool things to see within your display.
You said you had a gingerbread house, which you do,
but then you have all these different things
that are not usually associated with Christmas,
and it’s so fun for kids.
You just made it so kid friendly.
That’s what makes it awesome. Bryan: Absolutely.
Thank you so much for coming.
Of course. Are you kidding me?
And Carter, thank you for making my girls' dream come true.
Absolutely. It was awesome.
I do have a few more places I have to go check out.
-Okay. -Okay.
So I’m gonna give you a big hug.
Say "Merry Christmas," guys.
All: Merry Christmas!
-Take care, all right? -All right. See you later.
-You too. -Yes!
Anniston: We nailed it. That was awesome!
♪♪
We're the Kraklow family!
All: And we’re here to light things up
with a lot of girl power!
What do we need to do?
We still have to flock underneath.
Okay. And after that, we have to finish the bushes.
I have a hybrid display, a traditional display,
and a light-show display.
To the left.
Morris is my partner-in-crime
in my Christmas-light display...
To the left. ...for 10 years.
Uh, usually, I have to do things twice.
No, 50 times.
He’s gonna have to go all the way over
because he’s blocking the present. Okay. Right there?
In my mind, I know where everything needs to go,
how it’s supposed to look.
Just like that.
Once we finish it, it really comes out great.
She’s the boss.
David: Where Michelle is really important in all of this,
it’s the songs with the choreography,
and everything coming together.
I’m one of a few female programmers
in the Christmas-light community.
It’s a fashion statement, I’m telling you.
Because of that, it forces me
to push myself a lot harder.
Carter’s coming. I know.
We got this. We got it.
All right, let’s go.
Her winning "The Christmas Light Fight"
would make her the ultimate Christmas diva.
♪♪
[ Cheers and applause ]
Merry Christmas!
Wow! Let’s go. Look at you.
I love that outfit.
Girl power. Girl power. Girl power. I like it.
Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I am Michelle.
This is my husband, David. How you doing?
And then my helper, Morris. Hello.
What makes you do this year after year?
My husband is retired military.
Many moons ago, right after 9/11,
we were in base housing, living there at the time.
I had already put up all the Christmas lights,
and I walked out, and I was like, "Wait a minute.
Why is our house the only house?"
It dawned on me that all the guys had been deployed out.
So, for me, I was like, "Well, that’s kind of sad."
And so, that year, I added some more and some more.
One day, my husband had pulled up,
and he was like, "You need to stop or you’re gonna
make the house look like Las Vegas."
[ Laughter ] And I was like, "Challenge accepted."
Yeah. I was like, "I can show you."
I’m so excited. How do we get this started?
With the kitchen sink. I love it.
I always tell people I have a little of everything
in my display, now including the kitchen sink.
Now the kitchen sink's here. Okay.
So, all you’re gonna do is turn the knobs... Yep.
...and it will actually start the show.
All right. Are you guys ready?
All: Yeah!
Here we go. Let's count it down, guys, in...
All: 3...2...1!
♪♪
Oh. Look at that. Look at that.
[ Crowd "ohh"s ]
And then lights.
♪♪
[ All cheer ]
What?!
Yeah!
Oh, yeah. ♪ Deck the halls with boughs of holly ♪
♪ Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la ♪
Wow. All right.
Got like a little club going on here right now.
Holy smokes.
That screen is so trippy.
-Ohhh! -Whoo-hoo-hoo!
What is going on at the top of your roof?
♪♪
Wow! [ All cheer ]
Come on, now.
♪♪
Man: It’s the most wonderful time of year.
Yeah!
All: Whoo!
Good job! Oh, my gosh.
You guys wanna get in there and check it out?
All: Yeah! Let’s go. Come on, guys.
♪ In Heaven, the bells are ringing ♪
♪ Ding-dong, verily the sky is riven with angels singing ♪
Woman: Who’s that up top? Mickey.
Is that Mickey?
Michelle: This is the tree of trees.
This is so cool!
We just recently upgraded it to seed pixels,
which are smart, but they’re super light,
and they’re just as bright as a regular pixel.
And you can make them any color you want.
And these little trees? They’re old crab pots.
That’s what they’re called -- crab pots?
Yeah. Well, that’s what people used to go crabbing with.
They used Christmas trees? They could.
[ Both laugh ]
♪♪
I call this the ring trees.
[ Chuckles ] Okay. The ring trees.
So, this was before pixels.
And at the time, people'd normally do L.E.D. one color,
and I was like, "No, I want mine to be different colors."
So these are RGBs. I can do different patterns on them.
I’m super -- Like, I love these things.
That’s something I’ve never seen before.
These? Yeah.
Have you seen my pillars?
I noticed these right away.
It’s a great effect.
I wanted my house to be able to go up and down.
Went ahead and measured out the house,
did it in four sections... Nice.
...drilled out all the holes and punched all these lights in.
Oh, my God. How long does it take to make one of these?
The pushing of the lights took the longest.
I was taking these panels to work
and pushing them in at work too.
So cool. You make all of these things.
Well, both of you guys do, right?
Yeah. She comes up with the ideas.
And sometimes she brings them to me.
We work on it together and we make it happen.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
But something you have... The big matrix.
It’s a bit more traditional, but it’s massive.
Michelle: Yeah, it’s 4,800 pixels that we push through strips.
Yeah. How many strips?
96 strips.
Ooh-whee! 4,800 lights.
And then you gotta figure out how to wire it. Speaking of wiring...
Go in the back.
[ Laughs ] Oh, my gosh!
This is like a plait of snakes.
Yes. You have to be so precise to make something like this.
Yes, everything needs to line up perfectly,
or your picture is gonna be distorted.
And then you gotta connect them
onto the larger cables down here. Yes.
And then they all have to run to -- What are these?
The 680-4s?
I thought they were the 780-5s.
No. Wouldn’t want to use those
in weather like this.
No, not at all. [ Laughs ]
How did you ever get into the tech?
'Cause this is not easy, one, just to put it together,
two, just to program it.
That’s a lot of work. It is.
Got into our first house, and I joined the forums,
I did all the other stuff.
And I was so proud.
That first year, I was like, "Yes!"
And then, now it’s like this.
This is crazy. This is next level.
But it’s so much fun.
♪♪
Carter: Your house looks stunning from here
with just the static display,
but then when it starts dancing,
it’s totally different and unique.
You have like Hollywood lights up there, right?
Yes. They’re built on little, small platforms
to the pitch of the roof.
They fit pretty tight up there.
They’re in inflatable domes,
so it keeps them protected from the weather.
Michelle: I wanted atmosphere and to give that,
you know, bold beam look,
so we actually pipe the fog through 75 feet of drain hose
to the top, all across the moving heads.
No, you don’t. Do you really?
Yeah, we vent-force the fog up there. Yeah.
Wow. You guys went the extra step
just to create that whole ambiance up there.
Yes. And it really works.
♪♪
So pretty.
♪♪
What does Santa say?
Ho, ho, ho.
One of the things that I noticed right away
were those bulbs that were singing.
Morris: An even better element is
the little flower boxes that Michelle came up with.
Michelle: I wanted all my windows to have a flower box,
and so that is garden fencing.
When she brought the idea to me,
I thought she was crazy. [ Laughs ] Okay.
But once we got it completed, we were like, "Wow."
♪♪
♪ Hey ♪
And then the mega tree.
Yeah. The pixel tree.
We actually made all of the pixel lines ourselves.
We use paracord.
Very, very strong rope. Yeah.
I went and bought some C7 lights, took the covers off,
drilled the covers, and put them over top of the pixels
because I wanted a traditional Christmas-light look.
Yeah. That went into my living room
for like three, four months.
Her husband was still overseas, and he came home
and found that in his living room. Yeah.
Michelle is out here crushing it.
She’s making all these things DIY,
and she’s bringing new, inventive stuff to the game.
Man, I love it.
Oh, my gosh, that was so much fun.
I’m glad you came.
There’s moments in here that really feel like
that rave, sort of club style,
but you blended it so well with the traditional pieces,
and then the artistry involved.
I love all the kids out here and their reactions,
'cause that’s what it’s about.
Yeah. And that’s why I enjoy doing it.
How cool is it to see your wife
just create something like this and doing what she loves?
It’s remarkable. What she sees in her mind
coming out to reality is just -- it’s amazing to see.
It’s all about having fun.
Well, you have definitely made this
a fun-filled experience for me.
Unfortunately, I have a few more places I gotta go check out,
so I’m gonna give you guys a big hug. Oh!
Say, "Merry Christmas." Merry Christmas!
Thank you guys so much. Thank you.
That was a lot of fun. Morris: That was a lot of fun.
David: A high five on that one, or what?
Yeah. Did great. Sweet! We got this.
♪♪
♪ Christmas ♪
♪ The best time of the year ♪
♪ Christmas ♪
If you think we need more lights,
you’re preaching to the choir.
Welcome to Clark's crazy Christmas display.
Agh! All right, we're there. Perfect.
So, I got my first house at 21.
Went all out, put around 90,000 lights up,
crazy display.
Button test. Plug it in real quick for me.
My youngest memories of my dad’s Christmas displays --
We'd come home from school, and he’d be out in the yard
putting lights up at the house all by himself.
The North Pole Express.
Seven kids later, life took over.
Hadn't done it for 25 years.
2019, got diagnosed with some stuff.
I figured, on the way out, I’m gonna bring other people joy,
and I’m sticking to it.
Penguin land done? Kids: Yep.
Moon up? Yeah.
Choir's done? Yep.
Does that mean we’re finally finished?
Not even close. I think we need more blow molds.
[ Kids groan ] Young Man: I think that’s it.
Where’s everybody going?
Chris: I’m gonna say I have the second- or the third-largest
blow-mold collection in the U.S.
I do have the largest choir collection in the U.S.,
I have the largest train collection in the U.S.,
and it might be the largest penguin collection, too.
Dude, you gotta get your lines together.
You’re making me look bad!
♪♪
Looks good. I do all of this
to make sure that other people
will have a smile on their face
and a memory with their family
for the rest of their life when they come here to see this.
I think we’re ready for Carter.
What do you guys think? All: Yeah!
Win or lose, the fact that I can bring people joy is awesome.
[ All vocalizing ]
♪♪
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Hey! Hey! -Merry Christmas!
What's up?!
Wow, you have a fantastic suit on right now.
These are some nice duds. What’s your name?
Chris Clark. How you doing, sir?
Nice to meet you. Who’s with you?
Just family and friends.
Wow. You got a whole crew here.
Seven kids, so it adds up quick.
So you got a little swag about you right now.
Is that reflective in your display?
I’m gonna say yes, but I’ll let you be the judge of that.
Ooh! Look at this.
You ready to see this? Absolutely.
All right, let’s power this thing up and make it happen.
Ooh! What is this? [ Electricity crackles ]
All right, so, this is a fiberglass elf bakery.
That is amazing!
What is this -- like a switchboard, a circuit breaker?
Yeah, we had to make a custom board to be able to handle the power,
'cause everything else we tried kept blowing.
And you’re gonna flip some switches,
and we’re gonna make some things happen.
I’ve been electrocuted a lot, so... [ Laughter ]
Are you guys ready for this?
All: Yeah!
Okay, here we go. Let’s count it down, in...
3...2...1!
[ All cheering ]
[ Electricity crackles ]
♪♪
♪ Joy to the world ♪ Whoa!
Oh, my gosh! This is amazing!
♪ Let Earth receive her King ♪
You completely lit up your house.
I love your garage.
There’s how many blow molds?
Over 1,000. What?
Oh, my gosh. I love the ice rink over here.
And then all the stuff on the roof.
And the moon up there.
That's 65 feet, baby. What?
I gotta see this.
You guys wanna come check it out?
All: Yeah! All right, let’s go. Come on.
♪ It's Christmas ♪
♪ Christmas ♪
Wow, you have a lot of blow molds here, don’t you?
How long does it take to set up this entire area?
-Three months. -Yeah.
Three months? What do the neighbors think?
-They think we’re crazy. -Yeah.
That's all right.
Are you saying hi to Santa Claus?
Okay, let’s talk about this guy right here,
'cause I want to start getting some interactive moments.
Where is it? Up here.
Oh, this guy right here?!
[ Laughs ] That’s awesome.
A lot of these are not sold actually as light-up blow molds.
We ended up drilling, ran a wire, and then this way,
we’ll be able to hit the buttons and make them come on
so the kids can have something to interact with.
This is great!
Oh, my gosh! This is so fun.
♪♪
How do you get so many penguins?
A lot of just, you know, hunting them down.
And I see some buttons right here.
Yes. Yeah. You can make him play with you.
That is awesome!
These are professional penguin hockey players right here.
Do you buy this ice rink or do you rent it?
No, we hand-built all this. Come on!
Oh, yeah. It’s 8 foot by 24 foot,
but it’s all built with 2x6s.
Gotcha. And then what do you use for the rink?
This is actually a two-inch foam.
That was smart. Man: It’s actually pretty sturdy.
Is it? I mean, we brought this thing over with his loader.
Good thing he had a loader. Yeah.
What do you do in real life?
I got a hardware store.
Dude. We should be best friends.
So it makes it a little easier to get some parts.
♪♪
So, this is the post office, the North Pole Express.
Lot of work going on in there. Of course, we’ve got
the envelopes in the back going through the mail chute.
Carter: How did you make that? So, it’s fishing line.
There’s actually a fan motor up in the top.
Just tried to make it look like
there’s as much movement as possible. Yeah. Right.
So, the conveyor's probably
the greatest outcome out of everything,
to where the kids can have that interaction,
make the packages move.
Something interactive is always great to have.
I mean, it’s crazy because this is a garage,
and the fact that you did a post office, too.
How else do kids get the letters to Santa?
♪♪
More blow molds here. There’s so much to see.
Oh, there is. Just wait, you haven’t seen nothing yet.
[ Chuckles ] Oh, my gosh!
This is incredible!
I am so blown away right now.
Carter: There’s so much to see.
Just wait, you haven’t seen nothing yet.
[ Chuckles ] Oh, my gosh!
This is incredible!
Look at the bears!
Oh, my gosh. And the choir.
The camels?! Yes.
You have camels!
That’s Kevin, the Christmas Camel.
Come on. Yep.
So people just walk right through here?
Chris: Absolutely. Yep.
This is just way too cool.
[ Camel grunts ] This is like a zoo.
It feels like almost a manger or a barn,
which is still in the Christmas theme, which really works, too.
Obviously, the camels play into, obviously, the manger scene.
Yeah. The other items ended up just --
you know, like a circus theme almost,
kind of like a mixture
of a bunch of things added together.
Wait, and this is your deck, right?
Believe it or not, this is the deck.
Okay. Sounds crazy.
We have to lower the grade of the yard by 12 1/2 inches
because I’m 6'3",
so I had to make sure I can clear this
just so people can come in here and experience this.
And I love all the lighting.
Yeah, we tucked it all, hid it all, put strips in.
That’s so good. How many camels do you have?
Six camels.
This guy here just kind of
couldn’t stand up anymore, and...
Ohh! Poor camel.
[ Camel grunts ]
♪♪
Let him in there. He loves touching buttons.
[ Dogs bark ]
This is probably the largest blow-mold train station
in the U.S. Carter: What?
140 feet of track, 13 trains.
This is incredible, just the detail on these,
with the presents, with the wrapping, with the bow.
That blue one you just touched, there’s only 30 ever made.
Really? And a lot of these,
we did some repurposing, they were kind of broken down.
This is really impressive.
You obviously made all the track with PVC,
and you have 2x4s down there.
Yep. That was one of the things.
We tried to make it look like
they’re all coming in and going back out.
I feel like the kid inside of you
is coming out a little bit. Just a little.
♪♪
Now, what do you think of this?
It’s so big.
This is like something you would see in an amusement park.
I do have the largest choir collection in the U.S.
Wow! 109 choir people,
over 20 trumpeters, 20 drummers.
I hand-wired and made up my own kits for the interiors.
So this'll be the only choir you’ll ever see
where it’s uniformed on lighting and the heads light up.
This is such a special piece.
♪♪
You got the Navy in the cove. Okay.
The Army. [ Chuckles ] Right.
The Air Force, and Space Force.
Ah! Space Force! I love this.
What we wanted to do is just honor our soldiers.
So, this here is kind of part of the fallen soldiers.
So they’re carrying them off the battlefield,
and then you got the chopper that’s coming in
onto the landing pad so it looks like it’s flying.
We hand-built that helicopter.
That’s priceless. That is a beautiful piece.
Chris, where does your brain come up with all this stuff?
If I could find a way to shut this thing off,
this thing will get smaller, I promise. [ Chuckles ] Right.
This area here is the observation deck.
And then this -- the VIP area.
Just has more vintage. Wow!
One of the hardest pieces in the world to find
is this 1969 snowman. I love it.
And then you have the antenna
sticking on the top with the moon.
How do you get that up there?
So, we get everything kind of prepped,
and then, from there, it lays all the way across.
We put ropes down on the ground, so they just start pushing 2x4s,
everything else, and eventually, we get it up,
and it’s an amazing piece.
And it looks great. It’s so magical.
So, can we see the observation deck?
Chris: Absolutely. Let’s head on down.
So this became like the selfie station. Carter: Oh!
Being able to do this for the community.
the laughter, the joy, it lights my heart up.
So, basically, I’ll just tell you the story.
Yeah, tell me. So, 2019,
found out that I have a rare form of MS,
which I was told that, within two to three years,
I'll need a caregiver.
Like, that’s how aggressive of a form I have.
What? Yeah.
I mean, you look great. You seem healthy.
And that’s the problem. Even I fought this. Yeah.
One day, I might wake up and my legs don’t wanna work.
Oh, my gosh. Or my hands. I’m dropping stuff everywhere.
But yet, the next day, let’s go build something. Right.
You wake up every day like, "What am I gonna get?"
And then, "What can I accomplish on the day that's good?"
It’s the way it is until it gets really bad.
Then, when it gets really bad, I guess we’ll talk from my bedside.
I don’t know, but, right now, it's like --
But, right now, it’s good. Oh, man. That’s the kicker, yep.
You take those good days and rock on with them.
I’m so impressed with you.
Good or bad, I hope you enjoyed it.
Hope it brought you some joy.
[ Scoffs ] "Good or bad"? This is incredible.
There's nothing bad about this place.
It’s so impressive. It’s beautiful.
You’ve done an amazing, incredible job. Awesome.
I definitely appreciate it. Thank you.
You are an impressive man. Thank you for doing this.
The fact that Chris has multiple sclerosis,
which is a degenerative disease,
and he still puts this display on
in such a massive way,
it’s really very inspiring.
Oh, my gosh!
I am so impressed with all of this.
You know, right when I walked up,
I just saw so many blow molds --
all the different styles, the different looks,
the different stories, the different themes.
So much interactive moments, and all the creativity.
Every square inch, you used, even under the deck.
I mean, how proud are you of your dad?
I’m pretty proud of it.
I think just having something at the end of the day
to look forward to for him
is really helpful with what he’s going through.
[ Voice breaking ] And I’m just glad that he...
I’m a crier.
I’m just really glad that he has something
that he can be really proud of
and other people can be proud of him for, too.
Thank you. Yeah, it’s pretty special. It really is.
Inspiration to so many people.
I just want to give you a hug.
Hey, thank you so much. Thank you so much.
It was a pleasure to meet all of you guys.
You’re a wonderful family. Have a Merry Christmas.
I gotta get out of here. Take care, okay?
-Thanks, Carter. -All right. See you guys.
-Bye! -Bye!
Good job, guys.
-Good job, Dad. -Love you.
♪♪
♪ Jingle bells, jingle bells ♪
♪ Jingle all the way ♪
All: We're the Bell family.
And we’re gonna jingle our way into your heart.
[ Bells jingle ]
[ Grunts ]
Howard: When we first started dating,
I noticed that she had nutcrackers.
Amanda: I started collecting nutcrackers when I was 11.
Our first Christmas came up, and I was like,
"I'm gonna buy her some nutcrackers."
He couldn’t ever just buy me one.
He would buy multiple, and it just kept multiplying
and multiplying.
We have over 150 now.
They’ve overflowed from the house into the yard.
A little loose.
2009, when Reese was born,
now I can go crazy with Christmas.
My artiste skills are not what they once were.
We have many scenes. We have scenes within a scene.
You have to put on the glitter when it’s still wet.
All right, now Elsa's ready to let it go.
It’s grown every year.
Is that about right?
That sounds about right, yes. [ Chuckles ]
♪♪
[ Cheers and applause ]
What's up, contestants? Merry Christmas!
-Merry Christmas. -Merry Christmas.
How y’all doing?
All: We're great!
Oh, I was so waiting to say that
for a long time. [ Laughter ]
Hey, Carter. I'm Howard Bell. We are the Bell family.
Nice to meet you.
Okay, tell me a little bit about your display.
Well, there's something for everybody.
We have got different scenes.
There's gonna be cut-outs. There's gonna be blow-ups.
We got snowmen. And we have snowmen.
That's good, that's good. You're [indistinct] for doing that.
Yeah, we got a special presenter here
to get this bad boy started.
Oh! Thanks, Santa. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you. Yeah. So, Carter,
you know, I was a former teacher and a coach. Uh-huh.
We thought, what better way than to have a school bell
turn these lights on? And plus, we're the Bell family, right?
So we gotta have a bell. So you might as well, right? Absolutely.
There's gonna be a little switch in there,
and you're gonna turn these lights on.
Well, let's do it. Should we do it, guys?
What do y'all think?
[ Cheering ] Okay, here we go.
Oh, it is a little switch. Look at that. That's so cool!
All right, you guys want to count it down?
[ Cheering ]
In... All: 3...2...1!
[ School bell rings ]
Whoa!
[ Laughing ] Oh, my God!
Wow!
Stretches all the way across your yard!
Oh, my gosh, I love these mega trees.
So many inflatables here.
Your house is gorgeous.
You got, like, the Disney theme over here.
How many acres? Howard: Two acres,
but definitely an acre that is lit.
This is a massive display.
You want to get a little closer look?
Absolutely. Come on, guys, let's go.
♪♪
[ Babbles ]
We gotta smile.
Carter: Everything sort of flows into something else.
Howard: Yes. Another theme.
Right? 'Cause that's not easy to do,
especially on a display this size.
We make sure there's a theme for everyone.
There's a theme for everyone. I love it.
Good job. Good job.
One of the first things that I notice are
all the Disney princesses.
Amanda: Carter, these are all made out of plywood,
and what we do is I sketch them out,
and then Howard -- he cuts them.
You did a great job.
I like to look at all of the pictures
that I can find of the characters
and just try to get them as authentic as they should be.
We kind of make sure there's, like,
a little space for, like, everyone.
That's really good.
You know, you get to add your design
and your style, which is really fun.
This gingerbread house is actually an old playhouse
that someone got rid of.
It was very muddy and beat up.
But now it looks spectacular.
This was just, like, that spray foam
that fans, you know? Ah, that's so genius, yes.
And then we painted it. And then these are just
regular old cups that we painted. Are they really?
-They're plastic cups... -Plastic cups.
...that we painted. That's so cool.
I love all the repurposing of items.
And you made it really special.
The amount of inflatables is massive.
One of the things that I do with all the old inflatables
that go down that have these big motors... Uh-huh.
...I never get rid of them. So I cut those motors out
and then my mother-in-law -- she'll sew it on right here.
So great. And it looks just like it belongs, you know?
That's so amazing. It's just more sturdy.
Yeah, it's more rigid.
I mean, that is impressive, man.
And you do that to a lot of them?
Yes. Lucky to have a mother-in-law
that knows how to do that. That's right, man.
That's right. Smart man.
As you can see, this is our winter wonderland.
This is such a great area. There's so much depth to it.
Amanda: Something is always looking at you,
and there's always something for you to look at.
This whole reindeer and Santa's sleigh set
was pulled out of the trash.
Really? It was rusted out.
Oh, my gosh. None of the lights worked on any of it.
And you put all-new lights on this? Howard: I did.
Howard stripped it all down... Wow!
...sanded it, repainted it, and re-lit it.
You have it down to a science, my friend.
You really do.
You have just these rows of various things --
you know, candy canes and just different lights.
We have the little runway right here.
Yeah. So, this is a little airport.
And all the nutcrackers, too. What's up with that?
Well, that the nutcrackers are kind of my fault.
What do you mean, they're your fault?
Well, when I was a young girl,
I was in a production of the ballet,
and my grandmother gave me a nutcracker,
and I have collected them ever since.
Wow. And then I met Howard and...
I took it up a notch. Yeah! You guys were like, "Oh!"
...he kinda thought it was cool.
But that's great. I mean, that's so
near and dear to your heart, right?
It is. I love them. There's --
I haven't come across two that are the same.
The Bell family has a massive yard.
There's so many different themes around this display.
I just was so lost in all the amazingness
that surrounded me.
How fun was that?
That was awesome, Carter. Awesome.
It's really impressive. When it's done
and you look at it, you go, "Wow."
You just can't beat when you see a little kid
or even an 80-year-old kid out here
and they're thanking you for putting this on.
Nothing better. This has been a blessing.
It's not about winning. It's about the joy.
Oh, that's so great. I love hearing that.
Carter: The Bell family did a wonderful job,
but I've seen four amazing displays,
and it's not gonna be easy to make a choice,
but somebody's gonna be the champions
of "The Great Christmas Light Fight"
and win that $50,000.
Merry Christmas, all right? Merry Christmas, Carter.
See you guys. Thank you.
Howard: Thank you. Bye-bye. Well, that was fun.
That was amazing.
So, how do we beat this next year?
Whew! It's gonna be a challenge.
Narrator: Crazy for Christmas and have the display to match?
Apply now at ABC.com/casting.
♪♪
Hey, what's up, big guy?
[ Engine starts ]
These holiday lights absolutely lit up the night.
All: 3...2...1!
Carter: The Richards family from Columbia, Missouri,
built a gingerbread house that looked good enough to eat.
What?! This is amazing!
Every square inch of their property
was deliciously decorated.
You just, like, made my day
with these two. [ Ducks quack ]
Oh, look at that. Look at that.
Oh, I love that.
The Kraklow family from Temecula, California,
put on a full-on Christmas concert
with their synchronized show.
Come on, now.
Their unique mix of high-tech
and traditional elements absolutely shine.
All: 3...2...1!
Carter: The Clark family from Batavia, Ohio,
blew me away with a massive collection
of vintage blow molds.
Oh, my gosh! This is so fun.
Their stunning interactive display
would even have Santa himself singing their praises.
And I'm not just preaching to the choir.
All: 3...2...1!
Carter: The Bell family from Canton, Texas,
rang in the Christmas season with all the holiday classics.
We make sure there's a theme for everyone.
There were princesses, gingerbread houses,
and, of course, their beloved nutcrackers.
They're gonna be so surprised.
And now it's time to make some Christmas memories
one family will never forget.
♪♪
All right, hit it, Santa!
[ "Jingle Bells" plays ]
Thanks, Santa.
♪♪
Hey, Chris. What's up, buddy?
Hey, man. What's up?
Why don't you go get the rest of your fam?
Sweet.
What's going on, guys? Carter's here!
Hey! [ Laughs ]
How you all doing?
-Hey! -Hi.
Good to see you all. How you doing, sir?
You guys look great. 'Tis the season, that's for sure.
'Tis the season, right? Yeah.
You know, I've seen a lot of great displays,
and I just wanted to come here and say,
you know, your blow molds -- they blew me away.
And that's why you guys are the champions
of "The Great Christmas Light Fight!"
And you just won $50,000! Whoo-hoo!
Awesome. Congratulations!
[ Laughter ]
-Whoo! -Good job, Dad.
Love you.
It's been a phenomenal year, man, it really has.
Friday, we had over 600 people here,
did 270 cups of hot chocolate.
You're gonna have a lot more than that. Never in my life...
[ Laughter ] I hope you know this now.
I can't ask for anything more than that.
That in itself is just awesome. Yeah.
So I love it. Yeah.
So, just bringing people joy.
Yeah. You beat out a bunch of other beautiful homes,
and that is just a little nod
to what you have been able to accomplish here.
And all of these blow molds, man!
And the way that they're set up and orchestrated,
and you had all these other little themed areas
and their interactivity you had, and then what you're
going through on a regular daily basis --
it's even more impressive, it really is.
Well, thank you. That means a lot.
It really does.
Well, I do know that
there is something that is pretty important to you
that you may have a spot for.
This might be the most valuable thing
that you're gonna give me at this moment.
Well, hold on, on that beat.
I think you actually got, like, the butterflies --
Young Woman: He's gonna cry over this.
No, I'm not gonna do it. I'm gonna keep it together.
All right, guys, this is the moment of truth.
[ Laughter ] I'm happy, man.
Guys, raise this up, 'cause you deserve it.
[ Cheering ] Look at that.
Congratulations.
That's amazing. That's awesome.
Outside of kids' smiles and giggles,
this is it, right here.
But I feel like we should share that
with the rest of the crew. You know who that is?
I think we're going to the choir.
Let's go to the choir. Let's do it.
Come on, guys! [ Cheering ]
This is like the pinnacle of Christmas decorating right here.
It's like playing peewee football,
making it to the NFL, which is awesome,
but then you win the Super Bowl. That's what this is.
This is like the Super Bowl of Christmas decorating right here.
I got a perfect place for this.
♪ Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la ♪ There you go.
Whoo! That is perfect.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Okay, let's go! -Whoo!
Okay, so, who's singing?
Come on, now. ♪ Fa-la-la ♪
3, 2...
All: ♪ Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la ♪
Chris: Good thing we're not judged on our singing ability. [ Laughter ]
♪♪