The Christmas lighting display at David Avalos’ home at 606 Sean Street in Socorro is full of wonderful holiday displays and more than 5,000 lights. It was Avalos’ childhood dream to be able to decorate his home for the holidays. He enjoys seeing children’s faces light up when they visit his Christmas display.
Wanda Moeller

The weather outside has been a little frightful – at least on Thanksgiving – but don’t let that stop you from having some delightful family fun this holiday season.

The coming week, should provide some great evenings to go see some beautiful local Christmas displays. As a child, many may remember their parents or grandparents driving around in the family vehicle every year to see the Christmas lights.

We remember being amazed at the sight of all those trees covered in twinkling white lights, plus all the beautiful nativity scenes and all the poinsettias that filled our local churches. It was beautiful and something we looked forward to doing every year.

Fortunately, it’s those memories that remind David Avalos why it’s important to keep on lighting up his neighborhood on 606 Sean Street in Socorro.

Each year, the weeks and days before Christmas his family would pile up in the family’s Ford station wagon and hit the road to find some of the best Christmas displays the area has to offer.

These days, Avalos delights in bringing joy to area children with his holiday light display.

“Growing up and driving around seeing all the Christmas lights, my dream was to have my own house to decorate it,” Avalos said. “We started little by little buying some decorations. Then every year we’d add a little more.”

Today, Avalos would hate to venture how much he’s spent on Christmas decorations. Most he says were either bought on sale or donated.
David Avalos in yard

And putting up the thousands and thousands of lights begins a few days after Halloween with hopes of having it all done by Thanksgiving eve. “My son and my nephew help me,” he said. “It takes about three weeks working about five hours a day to get it all set up. I’ll do this as long as my kids are

there to help me.”

To him it’s all worth it when he sees people driving by his house. “People can take all the pictures they want, as long as they stay outside the rope lights around the perimeter,” he said.

For almost two decades, Avalos has been delighting our children with his extravagant display. “I get phone calls, cards and event notes left on my front door telling me how nice my display is or that it brings back special memories of for them when they were children,” he said.

He delights in those accolades that he doesn’t mind seeing his electric bill come in the mail. He said was fairly high until he switched all his lights to LEDs a few years back.

One of these weekends in December, Avalos even convinced Councilor Gordy Hicks to play Santa Claus and give out bags of hard candy.

“I just love doing it (decorating outdoors). I do it for the kids,” he said. “But I do have a message for those kids who are out there destroying the Christmas lights people are putting up. I’d ask them to be respectful to people who taking the time to decorate. It takes a lot of work and there are kids who like looking at them.”

So get out and have a little family time away from the television this season. Take a drive and enjoy the lights (and the time together).

Wanda Moeller