MONROE — Every night, rain or shine, a big holiday display lights up Woods Lake Road in Monroe.
The display is big enough to slow down drivers. Some people drop by and watch the lights go on and off. Children sometimes stand for minutes, their eyes glued to the little wonderland.
That makes Colin Stewart happy.
The Monroe man has set up the holiday display on more than a quarter of an acre on his property. The display uses about 45,000 lights and features an inflatable Santa, a Snoopy, a Pooh Bear and a snowman. Lights go on and off to five songs: “Silent Night,” “Deck the Halls,” “Carol of the Bells,” the Charlie Brown Christmas song, and “Wizard of Winter.”
The display has no title, but it has a cloth sign that reads: “Home for the Holidays.”
“It’s something that I like,” said Stewart, a real estate agent and electrician. “I enjoy lights. I wanted to share my enthusiasm and madness with other people.”
The display automatically goes on at 4 p.m. and off at 9:30 p.m. daily. It’s monitored by video surveillance. The couple can watch the display on a 73-inch TV screen in the living room. When people drop by, Stewart and his girlfriend, Linda Foster, go outside and talk about their love for lights.
In late November, Stewart set up the display with help from his two daughters, Tiffany, 7, and Shaylene, 9.
“There was no talking,” said Stewart, 41. “I just started.”
Stewart and Foster are still adding to the display. Stewart, originally from England, wants to play with lights to create shapes of London Bridge, a British mailbox and a phone booth.
Foster, an electrical engineer, is looking for a pink flamingo light.
“Once you get to this stage, you say, ‘Oh, I see how much further we can go,’” Foster said.
The display survived the recent storm that flooded the region. Neighbors keep dropping by.
The lights and music drew neighbor John Petersen on Wednesday night.
“I think they are doing a pretty good job,” Petersen, 50, said.
Stewart hasn’t added up the cost of the display.
“Too much,” he said, adding that cords alone cost him about $1,000.
He plans to keep the display on at least through New Year’s Day. Foster, who also lives in Monroe, said she hasn’t spent much time adding lights to her own house.
They plan to spend Christmas looking at the glitter of lights at Stewart’s place.
“I’m mesmerized when I go out there and see the lights,” Foster said.
Stewart is already considering how to decorate his place for the Fourth of July.
“It’s good to share,” he said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
Check out the display
Colin Stewart and Linda Foster of Monroe set up a light display to share their holiday spirit. The display is at 13004 Woods Lake Road in Monroe. See videos of the display at www.heraldnet.com.
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