Christmas lights and holiday displays are popular ways to ring in the holiday season.
But in Vallejo, California, one house’s decorations have always been so much more than a fun tradition.
There is an incredible amount of preparation and planning that goes into this every year.
This is not just any light display. For the Taylors, each year’s holiday display requires months of planning and a lot of money.
They typically start planning about three months before they put up the lights, and it usually requires around one million lights to get the setup looking exactly how they imagined it.
This holiday lights project is more than mere decoration though, it’s a beautiful tribute to their beloved daughter.
23 years ago, in 1999, Bob and Linda Taylor lost their daughter Debra.
She lost her life in a plane crash shortly after working up the courage to fly in a plane — she had been terrified of planes her whole life.
For Bob, focusing on an elaborate light display helped buoy him during bouts of extreme sadness.
Having a project to work on helped his grief feel like there was some sort of light at the end of the tunnel.
He even thought of this project as a way of communicating with Debra in the afterlife.
The dad tells ABC News:
“I had to make it bright enough that she could see it from heaven.”
Bob and Linda have certainly accomplished their goal.
In addition to their Christmas lights having personal significance, it’s become a neighborhood staple.
Over the years they have been doing this, word about their Christmas lights has gotten out.
Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for Bob and Linda to look outside their front windows and see gaggles of people admiring their lights.
Onlookers come rain or shine in December. For the Taylors, they enjoy seeing how many children love this display.
But as old age approaches, Bob and Linda don’t feel as up for the task as they used to.
After this year, Bob and Linda are saying goodbye to their extravagant Christmas lights.
The couple is in their 80s, and it’s too much work to keep up a one million light project every year.
They believe it’s time to stop this tradition, but they aren’t the only ones who will have to say goodbye.
The number of community members who are sad about this news shows how important these Christmas decorations have become.
One neighbor says:
“It’s sad because this is part of Vallejo, part of our tradition of being here.”
Coming to look at these lights has become an important tradition for many people in the area.
It’s beautiful how a means of coping with grief and paying tribute to a loved one can also grow to mean so much for an entire community.
In a way, it’s like the whole community was paying respect to Debra Taylor, and that must have been a beautiful gift for Bob and Linda to have had for the last 23 years.
I’m in Vallejo at this amazing Christmas house! The couple who owns it put up nearly 1 million lights every year to honor their daughter who died in a plane crash in 1999. But, now elderly, they say this will be the last year they do it. Story at 11 @abc7newsbayarea pic.twitter.com/bCLX7QMebn
— Tim Johns (@tim_johns_) December 3, 2022
This year, the Taylors were honored by the town of Vallejo because of their lights, cementing even more how impactful their display has been for the community.
Bob and Linda were honored at a ceremony on Friday, December 16th. They received certificates and listened to speeches by the mayor and city councilors written in their honor.
Their display will be remembered in the community for years to come. In the words of Mayor Robert McConnell:
“You have hosted just a spectacular gift to the community for years and there is never anything we could do to repay you…You’ve given the gift of light and holiday spirit to hundreds of thousands over the years.”
Watch the video below to learn more about their touching tribute that will never be forgotten!
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Source: YouTube – ABC News Bay Area, ABC 7 News, Marin Independent Journal
