Thanks for sending us your favorite displays!
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – The holidays look and feel a little different this year, but not at these local homes! It takes hours of planning, programming and assembly to deck these halls, but once they’re done, folks from far and wide flock to see these homes dressed in holiday style. If you’re looking for a fun, free way to make your season merry and bright, bundle up and head to one (or all!) of these local light displays.
You asked, so we made a map! Click on the Christmas tree icons for details about where to see this year’s decorations.
WEST BAY
The Lewis Family Light Show: 12 Shenandoah Road, Warwick, RI
Christmas is a family affair for the Lewises. For the past 24 years, their home has become a glowing mecca of holiday cheer with a high-tech twist.
The Lewis Family Light Show is the only Christmas display in New England with an interactive mobile website that allows visitors to see which song will be playing next. Visitors can even change the playlist by voting for their favorite song! Check out the site here.
Like most of the displays on this list, the Lewis display takes a lot of time and effort to complete. The display typically takes more than 120 hours to set up and includes more than 100 extension cords to power all of the high-tech lights that “dance” in time to the music. This year they’ve added four talking Christmas trees, and a visual portal into Santa’s workshop.
The display begins on Friday, Nov. 27, at 5 p.m. and runs through Dec. 31. (Sunday through Thursday from 5–8:55 p.m., and Friday and Saturday nights from 5–9:25 p.m.) You can listen to the show by tuning your car radio to 106.9 FM.
This year, the Lewis family will accept donations for The Autism Project.
Check their Facebook page for announcements.
Picozzi Family Christmas Display: 75 Gristmill Road, Warwick, RI
Frank Picozzi has become synonymous with Christmas in Rhode Island.
Picozzi has been decorating his home for more than 30 years but 2020 marks his thirteenth year setting up an animated display that shines so brightly, some say you can see it from the North Pole.
Picozzi ditched traditional Christmas lights and now uses the same lighting technology found in Tokyo and Times Square. Because of this, Picozzi says his display is one of the most technologically advanced in the country. Earlier this year, he took his display on the road. It even lead him to launch a successful run for mayor!
Programming his lights is a time-consuming process: Picozzi says 10 seconds of song takes about five hours to program! Because everything is handmade, Picozzi works throughout the year on his display. While most are thinking about Halloween, he begins setting up for Christmas in early October. It takes about 250 hours to get everything done.
Picozzi’s display begins Thanksgiving weekend and runs through Dec. 31. You can see the show Sunday through Thursday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Listen to the music by tuning to 97.1 FM on your car radio.
Picozzi is accepting donations for The Tomorrow Fund of Hasbro Children’s Hospital.
Visit the display’s Facebook page.
A Rayhall Christmas: 47 Cavalcade Blvd., Warwick, RI
You might remember the Rayhalls from their spooktacular Halloween display, but they also know how to do Chrismas right, too!
This year they’ve gone fully digital with a 3D mapped projection of their home that visitors can watch in the comfort of their vehicle.
“This year isn’t like past years,” Daniel Rayhall said in an email to 12 News. “This year its all about fun, kids, and the true meaning of Christmas in a whimsical way.”
Visitors can listen to the roughly 30 minute show by tuning their car radios to 98.3 FM.
Th Rayhalls ask visitors to be respectful of their neighbors and not block their driveways.
“We will have signs up and we ask that everyone pull up to the ‘North Pole’ so that we can maximize the viewing audience,” Rayhall said.
The display runs nightly from Nov. 27 to Jan. 1, Thursdays-Saturdays from 6 to 9 p.m.
Visit their Facebook page here for updates on scheduling.
Hillcrest Holidays: 15 Hillcrest Ave., Warwick, RI
Jessica Moynihan and Ernie Cote have created a magical winter wonderland at their Warwick home.
“Her display has lots of colorful lights and inflatables with music playing,” daughter Ashley said of her mom, Jessica. “She decorates because she has always loved Christmas. She has been decorating for Christmas as long as I can remember, and I just turned 27.”
Ashley said her mom’s display even won a Warwick Beacon contest back in 1999.
“Her and her boyfriend put a lot of work into it and they would love to spread joy during these hard times!” Ashley said.
Kids of all ages (with masks!) can walk through the display every Friday through Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m. At the the end there are goodie bags for tiny tots with their eyes all aglow!
Souza’s Holiday Spectacle: 8 North St., Warwick, RI
Just like Pete Souza’s annual Halloween yard haunt, all of the components of his Christmas displays are handmade.
Souza has been decorating his Warwick home since 2010 and each year he makes a new piece.
This year, he has two 9-foot-tall nutcrackers, a ferris wheel, a carousel, a nativity scene, “Peanuts” characters and a gingerbread house!
His winter wonderland is lit daily from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. through New Year’s Day and includes some festive and fun holiday music played by magical Christmas bells.
Fun Fact: Visit Souza’s home during the month of October and you’ll find ghosts flying overhead!
Daniels’ Holiday House of Warwick: 69 Darrow Drive, Warwick, RI
When it comes to spectacle, Mike Daniels has it covered. With thousands of multi-colored lights all synced to holiday hits, it’s no wonder that so many folks swing by his Warwick home to take in the show.
Daniels is no stranger to decorating for the holidays (his Halloween display is impressive!) but when Nov. 1 arrives, he turns his attention to Christmas and the 80 channels of sequence lights he has programmed to nearly 30 different songs.
“It’s nice to scare, but we enjoy the cheer as well,” Daniels said.
The display features “singing” trees, icicle lights, snowflakes, candy canes and reindeer. In order to get the lights to “dance” to the music, Daniels spends four to eight hours programming each song!
Visitors can tune their car radios to 89.9 FM. The display is scheduled to start Dec. 3 and will run from 5-9 Wednesday through Sunday for the first two weeks.
The show’s schedule varies; check their Facebook page for updates.
Moussally Christmas Display: 11 Lakecrest Circle, Warwick, RI
The Moussallys’ Christmas display isn’t just for looking – it’s for walking!
Fred Moussally along with wife Renee, son Anthony and daughter Arianna begin setting up the display as soon as their spooktacular Halloween display comes down.
Get out of the car and experience a COVID-safe walkthrough of international Christmas decorations with vintage blow molds, inflatables, lighted candy cane arches, and yes — snow! Masks are required and the Moussallys ask everyone respect one another’s space.
The display starts on Saturday December 5, and runs weekdays from 6 until 9 p.m., and weekends until 10 p.m., weather permitting.
The Moussally family is also collecting donations for the Warwick Animal Shelter.
Silcox Family Display: 74 Vera St. Warwick, RI
The Silcox family started decorating with just a few lights for their oldest daughter’s first Christmas. Watching her excitement spurred them to add more and more each year until their display grew to what it is today!
Aside from their daughter’s love of the lights, the excitement and awe from the other kids in the neighborhood kept the tradition going. Now their home looks like an LED gingerbread house, with lights zig-zagging on the roof, twinkling Christmas trees and holiday characters.
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow can catch the display nightly starting Saturday, Nov. 30.
Christmas on Aurora Drive: 77 Aurora Dr., Warwick, RI
This display started out small a little over a decade ago with just a small inflatable penguin and some icicle lights.
Now, it’s grown and grown, and features two spiral Christmas trees that change colors, a line of dancing over-sized Christmas light bulbs, a 10-foot-tall Mickey Mouse and much more.
The display is lit daily starting Nov. 27 from 5 to 10 p.m. until January 1.
This year they are collecting non-persihable food donations for Helping Hands Food Pantry of Warwick. There will be a drop box on the edge of the property for visitors to leave the food.
Visit their Facebook page here.
Edwards Family Christmas Display: 34 Falbourt Street, Warwick, RI
Joshua Edwards started doing Christmas displays when he was just a tiny tot with his eyes all aglow, assisted by his father and grandfather.
“After their passing I decided this year to make it a little bit bigger and brighter,” Edwards told 12 News. “After all 2020 has been such a dark year, we felt it was necessary to brighten it up even just a little bit.”
His display consists of thousands of lights, 13 inflatable decorations and several decorations passed down by Edwards grandfather.
The lights are lit nightly from 5 to 9 p.m., weather permitting.
Silvestri Christmas Display: 45 Azalea Court, Cranston, RI
It’s an old-fashioned Christmas display on Azalea Court.
Round the bend and you’ll find blow ups, blow molds, handmade decor and plenty of lights in the Silvestri family’s front yard. This is their first year decorating their Cranston home, and they plan to add more.
The lights are on nightly until 10 p.m.
Lenox Avenue Lights: 10 Lenox Ave., West Warwick, RI
When Bruce Erikson and his wife started decorating their home more than two decades ago, it was a small display, but each year it’s grown bigger and brighter.
“It really looks like Christmasville here,” Erikson said in an email to Eyewitness News. The display includes light-up candy canes, Christmas characters, trees and delightful holiday music.
See the display nightly from 5 to 10 p.m. starting the first weekend in December through New Year’s Day.
Fazio Festivities: 3 Bramble Lane, West Warwick, RI
If you’re a fan of “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” you’ll like what’s happening on Bramble Lane.
In October, Joe and Kim Fazio turn their home into a Halloween House, but they also deck their halls for the winter holidays, too.
“We like to have a little fun with meshing the two together,” Joe told 12 News. “We have wolf dressed as Santa by the front door, and we have Jack coming over the fence as our Grinch to steal Christmas.”
The display is visible daily from 4 to 10 p.m.
“We have a lot of fun setting the front up with our boys and our neighbors always get a kick at what each year will look like,” Joe said.
Szymkowicz Family Light Show: 5 Spencer Street, Coventry, RI
Joe Szymkowicz has been decorating his home for the past 15 years, programming the twinkling display to dance in time to music.
Joe has Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease, and after a few surgeries and a small stroke, he is recovering well and sharing his love of the season with all who drive by his Coventry home.
“He truly enjoys the process of programming and setting up the lights; but hearing kids outside enjoying the show is the best!” wife Eileen Szymkowicz told 12 News. “He does this for a few reasons. First, he just truly enjoys the whole process. Also it is a project that keeps him busy and can be worked on at any time during the year.”
The show runs nightly from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on weeknights, and until 9:30 p.m. on weekends. Visitors can tune their car radios to 96.7 FM to hear 12 holiday songs.
Conway Christmas Light Extravaganza: 265 Maple Valley Rd., Coventry, RI
After a two-year hiatus, the Conways are back!
The Conway family has been decorating since 1992, and while this years display is scaled back compared to years past, it still boasts roughly 100,000 lights and 300 blow molds.
“Decorating has been a family tradition for us,” Joe Conway said. “We love being able to spread holiday cheer for the people in our community!”
The lights will be on every night from 5 to 10 p.m. until New Years Eve, weather permitting.
Visit their Facebook page here.
Ruhle Yule: 376 Chaplin Drive, Coventry, RI
Right around the corner from the Conways is the Ruhle family’s yuletide display!
They’ve been decorating for the past five to six years and each year their display grows. It includes many merry lights that move to music and an inflatable on the porch that resembles the family dog.
A WPRI.com reader told us they visit every year to see the lights and hear the music, so we tracked it down!
“We do it for ourselves and mainly our two young girls, of course our close neighbors enjoy it as well,” Jessica Ruhle told 12 News.
The display is lit nightly from 5 to 11 p.m. and visitors can listen to the music on 88.5 FM.
Holidays at Pine Knoll: 12 Pine Knoll Dr., Hope, RI
It might look like a gingerbread house, but the folks behind this Hope holiday display actually live there!
Mark and Britnee have been decorating their house for seven years now, adding more lights every year. This year they have 12 reindeer and about 20,000 lights. They even lit up their 1979 Ford truck.
Their two daughters, Britnee’s brother, mother and cousins all help set up the display, and each year they start setting up before Halloween. They hope their display spreads some holiday cheer this year!
The display is lit up nightly from 5 to 10 p.m.
Corsilette: 467 Seven Mile Rd. Hope, RI
Just a five-minute drive from Holidays at Pine Knoll is a display fondly known as “Corsilette.”
Derek Corsi has been adding to his display over the years and hopes to continue expanding for many more years to come.
“This gingerbread house clone brightens the dark country road as you come and go from Henry’s Christmas Tree Farm, right down the street,” Coris told 12 News in an email. “It is guarded by a series of blow mold toy soldiers that have been collected over the years.”
The lights are lit nightly from 5 to 10 p.m.
SOUTH COUNTY
The Wotherspoon Winter Wonderland: 14 Hawthorne Ct., North Kingstown, RI
This is the third year that Adam Wotherspoon has turned his North Kingstown home into a glowing beacon of holiday cheer, but before that he did displays and Warwick and Providence.
“Back when I was living in an apartment in Providence my roommate and I would put lights literally all over the walls, ceilings, et cetera.” Wotherspoon told 12 News in an email.
This year’s display is complete with a COVID-safe walking path so visitors can stroll through and see all the different characters.
“I like to keep it very old school, so a lot of blow molds from the 60’s are spread throughout the lawn,” Wotherspoon said. “I have some classic Mickey and Minnie blow molds and even a ‘flying’ Santa. And of course I have thousands of lights on the house and all over the lawn.”
The display is lit every night from 4:30 to 10 p.m.
Wotherspoon is accepting donations to benefit the Blessings in a Backpack charity, which helps feed hungry children. Look for the little red donation box.
DiLibero’s Illuminations: 36 Oakland Road, Richmond, RI
Ron DiLibero and his family moved to Richmond last year, and they brought the Christmas spirit with them!
“We love seeing the smiles on our children’s faces when they see the lights,” Ron told 12 News. “We also like to see how happy it makes people who drive by. This year we all could use the extra holiday cheer.”
His yard is like a giant Christmas menagerie featuring inflatables of reindeer, penguins, bears and more!
The lights are lit nightly from 5 to 10 p.m., weather permitting. Ron’s neighbors (like the Byron family) have decked their halls as well, making your visit extra merry!
Byron Family Lights: 43 Oakland Road, Richmond, RI
Right across the street from the DiLiberos, you’ll find the Byrons!
Their decorations include more than 20 blow ups, with close to 10,000 lights.
“We have a musical lamp post and other traditional displays including signs that say ‘Joy,’ ‘Happy Holidays’ and ‘Merry Christmas 2020,'” Jarrad Byron told 12 News.
The Byrons have been decorating since 2016, and like many displays on this list, they started off small and added each year.
“We started decorating because my daughter enjoyed riding around seeing other people’s Christmas decorations,” Jarrad said. “The joy on her face was priceless and seeing her smile makes me happy. As she gets older, she enjoys it more and more each year as we continue to add to our display for others to see. We love to share the same excitement and joy for all ages.”
Their display is lit daily from 5 to 9 p.m., weather permitting.
Santa’s Magical Drive-Thru Christmas Display and Musical Light Show: 106 Ten Rod Road, Exeter, RI
You don’t have to go to the North Pole to experience some real Christmas magic!
In an effort to make this Christmas season as magical as it can be, Anthony, Helen and their children have created Santa’s Magical Drive-Thru Christmas Display and Musical Light Show.
If you’re a fan of inflatables, they’ve got them; if you’re a fan of a musical light show they got that as well. They have more than 110 inflatables lining their long driveway, and encourage boys and girls of all ages to come take a look!
Anthony Gemma says people should roll on down his driveway (which is wide enough for two-way traffic) to experience the magic.
“Basically you view the display driving in, and driving out and there is Magical Christmas light show happening all around you,” he said. Helen also encourages people to “please pass the word onto friends and family so the experience can be shared by all.”
The display runs every day from 8 a.m. (that’s right, eight in the morning!) to 11 p.m. starting Thanksgiving, Nov. 26 and ending Sunday, Jan. 3 barring severe windy weather. They even plan to have surprise “magical guests” handing out special treats during the drive-thru on each Saturday in December from 6 to 8 p.m.!
Make sure you tune into 106.1 FM to be fully immersed in this magical drive-thru experience.
They are accepting donations to The Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation in honor of Anthony’s mom, Gloria Gemma, who loved Christmas so much and sadly lost her battle with breast cancer.
To keep it new and exciting, they change and add lights and inflatables throughout the season so that each time that you visit you can get a different experience. They hope their “Magical Drive-thru” makes you and your family smile!
Sullivan Family Lights: 11 Laudone Drive, Bradford, RI
This sprawling Westerly display features thousands of lights, Star Wars figures and Santa and his sleigh.
“I have been decorating this house for about 15 years and display gets bigger every year,” Jay Sullivan told 12 News. “We decorate because I love seeing joy on our family and friends when they see new display every year. Also I do it because December is special to me because it’s my birth month and my anniversary month!”
The lights are lit daily from 4:30 until about 10:30 p.m.
Webber Light Display: 32 Minerva Ave., Cumberland, RI
Fourteen-year-old Lucas is the mastermind behind this dazzling Christmas light show.
“I have always watched the ‘Great Christmas Light Fight’ and wondered if I could learn how to do it,” Lucas said on his display’s website. “Since then, I have had a passion for Christmas lights and the Spirit of Christmas!”
Lucas began programming lights to dance to music for the first time in 2018, but their family tradition of decorating began long before that. He designed, built props and programmed the display with computer software, and his family describes him as a “self-taught entrepreneur.” He’s even crafted a P5 Panel with 40,960 pixels to control his state-of-the-art display.
“He has worked long hours programming, building and creating our display,” his mom Deborah Webber told 12 News. “He’s the type of kid that does it for the enjoyment and to bring joy to others lives and not for the recognition, but he’s worked really hard and our display is amazing for a 14 year old.”
The 65-minute show runs continuously from 5 to 10 p.m., weather permitting, and includes a fun and festive mix of holiday tunes that folks can listen to by tuning their car radios to 89.5 FM.
Visit their Facebook page for updates.
BLACKSTONE VALLEY
Mem and Pop’s Movie Magic: 368 Kenyon Ave., Pawtucket, RI
If you can’t get enough of your favorite Christmas movies, this display is for you!
Michelle and Manny Gregorio, a.k.a “Mem and Pop,” have transformed their Pawtucket home into a winter wonderland with more than 25 Christmas inflatables to make even the grinchiest of grinches smile!
This is also the only display on the list that features an inflatable, 20-foot big screen that shows holiday films on weekends from 5 to 10 p.m., weather-permitting. The rest of the display is lit nightly.
Pop your popcorn and drive on by!
Carreiros’ Christmas: 9 Oneida Street, Pawtucket, RI
Steven and Karen Carreiro have been decorating their Pawtucket home for the past eight years.
“We started doing it for our grandchildren and our neighbors love it,” Karen told 12 News.
Their display consists of numerous lights and 23 inflatables!
The lights come on each evening from 5 to 9 p.m., weather permitting.
Blackstone Valley Eye Care Presents: Holiday Lights for Sight, 385 Mendon Rd., Woonsocket, RI
The man behind this Christmas display is probably best known for his “Crazy Christmas House” that lit up Coventry for several years. Now, Tyler Horrocks has teamed up with the folks at Blackstone Valley Eye Care to create a whole new display.
For the past four seasons, this building on Mendon Road has been getting a holiday makeover, complete with trees, arches and lights that cover the entire front of the structure. Those lights dance in time to music to create a dazzling 15 minute display.
Dr. Jeffrey Kenyon, the practice owner, and Chris Tremblay, the office manager at Blackstone Valley Eye Care, came up with the idea to decorate in 2017. Tremblay said the display not only provides Christmas cheer to the community, but it also helps those in need.
This year, they’re hosting a toy drive for children at the Woonsocket Homeless Shelter. There will be a drop-off location set up inside the vestibule at the office, so folks don’t need to fully enter the building. Trembly said they’re looking for donations of new toys.
The display runs Friday-Sunday, 6 to 8 p.m. through the New Year.
EAST BAY/NEWPORT
Tierney Family Christmas Display: 6 Waverly Rd., Riverside, RI
Oh what joy and what surprise when a WPRI.com reader told us about this display, tucked into the Riverside section of East Providence. It’s new to the list this year, but boy are the Tierneys old pros.
Jerry Tierney started about 13 years ago with the “Mr. Christmas Light Show.”
“Basically I started when I kids were little,” Jerry said. “They are adults now, but I enjoy it and expand it each year.”
About seven years ago, he discovered software to control lights with relays, building electronic boards and expanding the show with music over the radio. But last year, Jerry discovered pixels, and the rest is history.
“Now, instead of controlling strings of lights, I can program each bulb with many different colors,” he said. “It really gives you endless possibilities.”
During the 40 songs that are part of the show, you’ll truly see those endless possibilities on display. The lights run nightly from 5 to 9:30 p.m., weather permitting. The music can be heard on 91.7 FM.
Check out their Facebook page.
Winter on Spring: 15 Spring Street, Riverside, RI
This display is new to Riverside and was originally in Pawtucket.
It includes a mix of old and new: traditional blow molds paired with 32 channels of LED lights programmed to music.
Visitors can hear the holiday music on 88.5 FM. The lights are on from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, weather permitting.
Kacmarsky Family Display: 6 Spinnaker Drive, Riverside, RI
While you’re in Riverside, don’t miss this twinkling display just down the road.
The Kacmarsky family has been decorating their Riverside home for over 15 years. Each year adding more and more lights to their display. This year there’s even a Christmas countdown clock.
This display has a true classic Christmas feel. Roll down your windows to hear the holiday music!
The lights shine nightly from sunset to 11:00pm.
The Stawicki Family Christmas: 111 Allerton Ave., East Providence, RI
You might recognize the Stawicki name from their spooktacular Halloween display, but this East Providence family says they like decorating for Christmas even more!
This marks their 15th year putting up lights, and each year they add more. Their display includes blow molds, musical trees, snowmen, handmade decorations and a nativity scene.
The display begins Saturday, Nov. 28 and is lit nightly from 5 to 11 p.m.
Visit their Facebook page here.
The Frisina Family Lights: 283 Massasoit Ave., East Providence, RI
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Frisina family’s East Providence home!
This is the 12th season the Frisina family has been spreading holiday cheer. The display takes close to a month to set up and includes 32 different programmable channels that control over 20,000 thousand lights.
Visitors can listen to the music by tuning their car radio to 89.9 FM. The display begins on Nov. 26 and will run nightly, Monday-Thursday from 5 to 9:30 p.m., and Friday-Sunday from 5 to 10:30 p.m. until January 3 — weather permitting.
This year, the Frisina family will be collecting donations for T1D. They are doing this in honor Miss Hannah Guevremont. Hannah and the Frisinas’ daughter Emma have been friends since PreK (both are now Freshman in high school).
“We are raising money towards creating a world without type 1 diabetes (T1D),” Jason Frisina told 12 News in an email.
Visit their Facebook page.
Giroux Family Christmas Display: 69 Outlook Ave., East Providence, RI
While most people spend the time leading up to the holidays baking and shopping, the Giroux family is wiring and programming.
The family of six has been decorating their East Providence home for the holidays for the past 14 years, synchronizing their Christmas lights with catchy carols and classics. What started as a display of old-fashioned Christmas bulbs has now grown into a completely modern, computer-programmed show with LED lights. Visitors can listen along on their car radios by tuning to 107.5 FM.
This year, the display will be lit starting Friday, Nov. 27, weekdays from 5 to 9 p.m. and weekends from 5 to 10 p.m. until January 5.
This year the Giroux fmaily has added a new Disney medley!
Visit their Facebook page and their YouTube channel.
Fitzgerald Family Display: Rhode Island Blvd., Portsmouth, RI
John and Betsy Fitzgerald have been decorating their home for more than 10 years, and their work to turn their Portsmouth home into a glowing winter wonderland begins before Thanksgiving.
In the few short years since moving to Common Fence Point, their home has become known as “The Christmas House.”
This year the elves have been working extra hard to add programmed pixel lights and music. Viewers can tune to 103.1 FM on their car radios.
Catch the joy of twinkling lights from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. every night through January first. (A reminder that the neighborhood speed limit is 20 mph!)
Birchwood Lights: 64 Birchwood Drive, Portsmouth, RI
Just a short sleigh ride from the Fitzgeralds you’ll find Birchwood Lights, a holiday show that’s sure to dazzle and delight.
The folks behind this display have been decorating for a decade, and according to their Facebook page, they see it this way: “THE BEST WAY TO SPREAD CHRISTMAS CHEER IS SINGING LOUD FOR ALL TO HEAR.”
We couldn’t agree more! Visitors can listen to the tunes and sing along by turning their car radios to 91.7 FM.
Check out the 90-minute show every night at 7 p.m., weather permitting.
The MacDonalds’ Christmas Display: 54 Ellery Road, Newport, RI
The MacDonalds are old pros when it comes to decking the halls, and year after year, 12 News viewers say visiting this home has long been a part of their holiday traditions.
For decades, the MacDonalds have been bringing good old-fashioned Christmas cheer to Newport, attracting boys and girls of all ages to the display on Ellery Road.
The display was the brainchild of Ronald MacDonald, who started decorating in the 1970’s to bring joy to less fortunate children.
“He wanted them to have free entertainment,” explained Ronald’s son, Kevin, in a telephone interview with 12 News.
Ronald passed away last year, but his legacy lives on in the display.
“We do this every year,” Kevin explained. “It’s already down to a science with all the men that work for us. We always keep the theme going.”
This year’s display features gingerbread people and houses, real Christmas trees, snowmen, elves and tableaus! Despite its size and detail, the MacDonalds said it only takes one weekend to set up.
The display is lit nightly from 4:30 to 10 p.m.
Lights for Lives: 84 Hayden Ave., Tiverton, RI
A few strings of twinkle lights and an evergreen wreath just don’t do the trick for Colleen and Larry St. Onge.
Instead, for the past seven years, they’ve been transforming their Tiverton home into a holiday mecca of sound and light. This year, they’ve strung up more than 50,000 lights that “dance” to music broadcast on 91.7 FM. The display also features blow molds, hand-made angels and a waterslide display!
The show runs nightly from Thanksgiving through January 1. The lights are on Monday through Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 4 to 10 p.m. Santa pays a visit every Friday and Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m., and there’s a sleigh for photos and candy canes for kids, with COVID safety protocols in place! They also have a mailbox so boys and girls can mail their special wish list directly to the North Pole.
The St. Onge family works most of the year on the display, researching and crafting new ideas. They encourage visitors to walk their yard and take in all the holiday magic.
Donations will be collected for The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as the Tiverton Food Pantry.
Visit their Facebook page.
NORTHWEST
Lavergne Family Holiday Display: 85 Crystal View Drive, Pascoag, RI
The Lavergne Family Holiday display is new to our list this year, but it doesn’t mean they don’t decorate like old pros.
This high-tech display features a musical projection show with a dancing gingerbread man and Santa! Visitors can tune their car radios to 101.9 FM to listen in to all their classic Christmas favorites.
“It’s all about making holiday magic for the little ones,” Steve Lavergne told 12 News. “Using the latest technology to make memories that last a lifetime hopefully!”
The display is lit nightly from 5 to 9:30 p.m. until New Years Eve.
Trudeau’s Holiday Home: 36 Maple Lane, Oakland, RI
Tis the season when Andrew Trudeau’s Burrillville home transforms into a colorful Christmas spectacle.
This playful display includes 24 arborvitaes dressed as Christmas gnomes, over a dozen inflatables, a music box light display, a countdown-to-Christmas projector, various animal light-ups, and over 6,000 LED lights (including in their chicken and duck coop).
“My girlfriend of four-and-a-half years and I have always loved decorating together for all holidays,” Andrew told 12 News. “We started small — making wreaths for my tiny apartment — and now decorate over an acre and will continue to expand each year.”
The display is lit nightly from 5 to 11 p.m.
The Rosario’s Christmas Display: 9 Stella Dr., North Providence, RI
Melanie and Freddie Rosario started decorating their house a little over six years ago.
“The decorations started off small but each year we add more and more,” Melanie told 12 News in an email. “We decorate our house to light up our kids faces, even though they are getting older, it’s still pure excitement.”
Melanie said she and her husband love spreading Christmas cheer to those who drive by their home.
The lights start Dec. 1 and are lit nightly from 6 to 10 p.m., weather permitting.
Reindeer Yard: Mary Ann Court, North Providence, RI
Charlotte Melucci-Falcone is carrying on a family tradition by decorating her North Providence home.
She and her husband purchased her childhood home five years ago and began a small display with three decorative reindeer.
“Our ‘herding’ display has expanded annually,” Melucci-Falcone said in an email to 12 News. “Growing to nearly 14,000 tiny lights including 27 reindeer, wreaths, spiral trees, candy canes and this year Santa has come to town with his sleigh!”
“It’s old school,” she added. “Like us!”
Melucci-Falcone said her father used to decorate extensively when she was a child, using cutouts that her mother painted by hand.
“Dad had a speaker outside the window long before musical displays, but it just played Sinatra Christmas music,” she explained.
Once her dad passed, Melucci-Falcone said the holidays weren’t the same, and there were no decorations until she and her husband moved into the house. She credits her husband Gil’s artistic talent and infectious love for the season for bringing the Christmas joy back to their yard.
“I like to think my dad is smiling down at us seeing the lights shining so bright,” she said.
The display is on a cul de sac and is lit nightly from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
“Our decorating may have started to bring back the spirit of Christmas in our home,” she said. “But this year we are especially hopeful our display will bring some holiday cheer to all those who see it, as 2020 has been a year when most everyone can embrace a reason to smile.”
Knobel’s Kozy Christmas Display: 22 Candlewood Drive, Smithfield, RI
This is the third year the Knobels have synchronized their lights to holiday songs, and the results will have you ho-ho-ho-ing all the way home!
Tune your car radio to 88.1 FM and listen to your favorite songs of the season while the lights “dance.” The display also includes Santa on his sleigh, a 20-foot mega tree and Carl the minion, all ready for the perfect photo opp!
The Knobels ask you to put your hazard lights on while viewing from your vehicle.
You can see the display nightly from dusk to 10 p.m. until Jan. 15.
Kyle’s Kristmas: 20 Berclay Street, Johnston, RI
Kyle Iannuccillo and his family are pulling out all the stops this year, decking their Johnsron home with inflatables, reindeer and lots of holiday cheer.
“Decorating is definitely a big part in my life and is a hobby that makes everyone happy,” Kyle told 12 News in an email. .
The display is lit weeknights from 4 to 9 p.m. and weekends from 4 to 10 p.m.
MASSACHUSETTS
‘Griswolds’ of Mattapoisett: 99 Brandt Island Rd., Mattapoisett, Mass.
An email from Todd Philie certainly caught our eye when it popped into our inbox. Why? The number 602,300. That’s how many light he has on his Mattapoisett home.
In addition to the lights, there’s an 18-foot Frosty the Snowman and a 42-foot candy cane pole.
Philie has been decorating for more than 20 years, and he starts putting up the lights for his annual display in late summer.
“I love providing joy to people,” he told 12 News. “The smiles from passersby and joy it provides — it’s all I need to start putting up lights in August and September.”
The lights are lit nightly from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Pereiras’ Christmas Light Show: 481 Ridge St., Fall River, Mass.
This synchronized light and music display in Fall River is sure to make your holiday season merry and bright!
Joe and Stephanie Pereira started their light show eight years ago and every year it gets bigger and better. The display includes a handmade Santa sleigh and mailbox for kiddos to send their Christmas lists to the North Pole — leave a return address and get a reply from the jolly old elf himself!
The Pereiras will once again collect stocking stuffers for less fortunate children. Last year, they filled and delivered 99 stockings! Donations can be dropped off at the event or any time up until then at Ultra Tan at 428 South Main Street in Fall River.
The display runs nightly from Dec. 1 to Jan. 1 from 4:30 to 9 p.m.
Visit their Facebook page.
Eckersley Family Light Show: 83 Lane Street, Fall River, Mass.
The Eckersley Family Light show dazzles and delights folks in Fall River every night of the week.
Nathan Eckersley has been decorating his home for the past five years in memory of his late mother. He said his goal is to make sure she can see it from heaven.
Most of his display is handmade or custom cut from corrugated plastic. The project is a true family affair: Nathan builds every prop with his father and programs the lights with his wife.
The show of synchronized music and dancing lights begins nightly at 4:45 and runs until 10 p.m. Sunday-Friday and 11 p.m. on Saturdays. This display is best viewed from the Seabra parking lot at 444 Stafford Road.
Visit their Facebook page here.
Kut Family Christmas Display: 70 Summerfield Ave., Somerset, Mass.
The Kut family’s Somerset home transforms into a glistening gingerbread house every holiday season.
The family has been decorating for the past eight years and this year’s display includes tens of thousands of lights — they added another 15,000 just this year! The Kut family goes for a classic Christmas vibe with blow molds, Santa Claus and a whole lot of homemade decor. There are also two “mega trees” towering at more than 20 feet apiece.
And if you’re having trouble navigating your way there, look up: you’ll find a star measuring 54 inches high and 42 inches wide suspended 14 feet over the roof of their house! They’ve even added an artificial snow machine!
The display is lit nightly from Dec. 1 to Jan. 1 from 4:45 to 10:15 p.m.
Visit their Facebook page.
The Hills Spectacular Christmas Light Display: 63 Patton Ave., Somerset, Mass.
The Hills Spectacular Christmas Light Display includes 45,000 lights, a pole of stars that glisten white and blue, and Santa playing basketball! You can even get out and walk around, but visitors must follow COVID safety guidelines.
The Hills also have a mailbox that ensures letters get directly to Santa, and those good girls and boys who mail a note with a return address will receive a letter back from the North Pole complete with a candy cane!
Nikki and Jay Hill spend all year thinking of ideas for their house and begin hanging lights in early October. The lights are lit nightly from Dec. 1 until New Year’s Day from 5 to 10 p.m.
This year they are accepting non-perishable food items for the Veteran’s Association of Bristol County as well as monetary donations for the Crosby-Couto Basketball Fund, in support of two young men who passed away in a car accident this past March in Berkley.
“It is especially important for us to decorate because 2020 has definitely been a year full of uncertainty,” Nicole Hill said in an email to 12 News. “But we want to take people’s minds off of everything and help them find their holiday spirit. Though the world is in such a scary, vulnerable and unknown state, we want to bring a little bit of joy to brighten up peoples lives, if only for a moment.”
Check their Facebook page for updates on a COVID-friendly visit from Santa!
Sachs Family Light Extravaganza: 21 Mann St, Bellingham, Mass.
Snowflakes, twinkle lights and strobes all over — that’s what you’ll be greeted by at the Sachs family light display!
The Sachs always go all out for the holidays and 2020 is no exception. Their entire house is outlined in pixels that dance in time to music that visitors can hear on 101.7 FM. The whole show is more than an hour long and includes 19 songs.
Look closely and you can even see Santa in the their window keeping an eye out for good girls and boys.
This year the Sachs are raising money for Mission22, a non-profit dedicated to supporting veterans’ mental health needs.
The show runs nightly from 6 to 10 p.m.
Visit their Facebook page.
Proulx Family Lights: 74 Gifford Rd., Westport, Mass.
Sarah and Dave Proulx started decorating their Westport home when they moved in three years ago. Now their holiday display includes thousands of lights.
“We love decorating to bring joy to the neighborhood,” Sarah told 12 News.
The lights glow nightly from 5 to 11 p.m.
Christmas on Cotton Candy Lane: Cotton Candy Ln. Dartmouth, Mass.
You might recognize this address: Jordan Paiva hosted his first ever Halloween display on Cotton Candy Lane this fall! Now, Christmastime has arrived, and with it loads of lights, inflatables and holiday cheer!
The display is lit nightly from 5 to 9 p.m., weather permitting, but on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays Paiva will be playing music for all to hear. Some nights he’ll even be singing live!
Check out his Facebook page for updates.
L&R Lighting, 793 Sutton St, Northbridge, Mass.
If you’re up for a drive, head to see Leslie and Rich’s Christmas lights. The pair, known as L&R Lighting, normally take every third year off, but decided everyone needed a little extra holiday spirit this year.
This the pair’s 21st year decorating, and their Northbridge display includes more than 100,000 lights, handmade items, and a continuous show set to holiday tunes that visitors can listen to on their car radios at 92.7 FM.
The lights will come on Friday, Nov. 27 and will be lit daily from 5:30 to 9 p.m. until Christmas night.
Daily updates about the display are available at their Facebook page.
“We really hope this brightens everyone’s holiday,” Rich told 12 News.
