Christmas on display

Family:

The Rev. James and Wanda McDaniel

Address:

8140 Sir Lancelot Court in Evans

Directions:

Go west on Washington Road from Martinez. Turn left on Sir Galahad Drive in Camelot subdivision. Turn left on Sir Lancelot Court.

What the display includes:

Thousands of lights hanging on the house and shrubbery, and more than 30 inflatable displays, including Santas, snowmen, cartoon characters and a Nativity scene.

Why do you do the lights display each year, and how many years have you set up the display?

"We started 31 years ago,'' the Rev. McDaniel said. "We just bought a little manger set, and since then, we've added to it every year. Both our children, when they were young, we'd look at p-u-r-t-y lights. 'Daddy let's go look at purty lights' ... We'd go around and look at everybody else's lights, and we got into decorating ours for the kids."

Have you ever gotten comments on your display?

"Just about every day since I started putting them up, the lady next door ... said, 'I get a smile every time I leave the house.' There's a little boy riding in the back of an SUV said, 'Mommy, Mommy, look, it's Scooby-Doo!' The excitement of the little kids, it's all worthwhile," he said.

What is your favorite part of the light display?

"To hear the little kids and their response," the Rev. McDaniel said.

Other than your own, what is your favorite light display?

"We still drive around and look at the others, different people and different arrangements."

GOT LIGHTS?

The News-Times is looking for Columbia County's brightest outdoor Christmas displays. To recommend one, call Preston Sparks at (706) 863-6165, or e-mail cnt@newstimesonline.com.