The Gonzalez family has been turning their house into a Christmas light wonderland for 6 years.
Maria Gonzalez says that she used to drive around and see the houses decked out in lights. She would tell her mom that one day she would do this to her own house. Now herhouse is the brightest in the neighborhood.
The display runs from the front of the house to the back, and they even decorate the roof. It's filled with lights, familiar character animatronics, and inflatables.
It takes about a month to put up the display. Her husband plans out what decorations to put up. They try to create a new display every year. Gonzalez says that the goal is to have people take photos and bring them joy.
“So, like hearing people say like, ‘We look forward,’ you know, ‘If we had a long day we pass by your house and we smile.’So,I feel like that's why we did it. Just to bring joy to the community and some Christmas spirit,” Gonzalez said.
When driving past the house, my first thought was the electric bill, but Gonzalez says that it does not go up as much as people think.
“Probably goes up about $50 more,” she says.
Every year they buy more things; this year they had to leave things in storage. She says that buying things has sort of become an addiction but so has seeing people's reactions. This is their way of giving back, she says.
“When we’re setting up people are like giving us thumbs up and like, cheering us on. Or we’ll get messages on Facebook with people saying, ‘Thank you guys for doing this.’ So,I think that's what makes it worth it,” Gonzalez said.
When I visited, families were coming in and out. Cars were driving by and slowing down to admire the lights. I spoke to Dallis who visited with her nephews. They visit the house every year.
“It's just priceless. My nephews’ reactions are priceless. They love it,” Dalis said.
It's these types of reactions that make it all worth it," says Gonzalez.
“I hope they continue doing it for many years because it brings the families together,” Dalis said.
'Espina Wonderland' is located at 1100 S. Espina St. It will be up until January 6th. Anyone can visit from 5:30 to 9:00 pm.
