Christmas on display

Family: Darrell and Amy Birck

Address: 376 Ashley Mill Road, Martinez

Directions: From Wheeler Road near S. Belair Road, turn onto Kings Bridge Road and then Ashley Mill Road.

What the display includes: Thousands of lights, including trees in the yard decorated with red and green or white lights hanging down to the ground, a huge lighted snowflake and lights covering the house and shrubbery.

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

"We started about six years ago and we do it literally because we enjoy it and we enjoy the comments our neighbors have given us," Mr. Birck said. "We started doing it kind of small and people kept commenting how they enjoyed it and we just expanded it."

Have you ever gotten comments on your display?

One neighbor told us he was excited because we were starting to put it out. One even told us last year that they were having a (depressing) Christmas and (our) yard was the highlight and turned Christmas around for them. Several have even offered to help put them up."

What is your favorite part of the light display?

"That would be the red and green wrapped tree with the (Christmas) balls hanging off of it," Mr. Birck said. "I call it my Christmas cactus."

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

"It's the road off of Flowing Wells (Flintrock Way)," Mr. Birck said. "We always love to go to Callaway Gardens. This year, I was very impressed. It was the first year we had gotten to see the displays in Grovetown (at city hall). They put some beautiful lights up there."