On a quaint street in Danvers, Massachusetts, one family lights up their home at Christmastime for a good cause. The Elliotts on Arthur Street spend about 100 hours putting up their decorations, according to CBS News Boston. The family collects donations from those eager to see the spectacular display, which has been going on for more than two decades.
William M. Koziar was an early adopter of outdoor Christmas lights—he began decorating his family home with the twinkly bulbs in 1948, right around the time festive light displays became more popular in North America. Each year, his display would grow and expand.
The intersection of Lubao Avenue and Oxnard Street in the Southern California community of Woodland Hills has become known as Candy Cane Lane, thanks to the residents' propensity for staging elaborate Christmas displays every winter
One-and-a-half million twinkly bulbs shine at Zoo Lights at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, one of the city's most popular holiday traditions. While the menagerie's hundreds of animals aren't available for viewing at the after-dark event, paying patrons can enjoy plenty of holiday-themed snacks and drinks.
With its Bavarian-style buildings and gazebo-filled squares, the Village of Lights: Christmastown in Leavenworth, Washington, feels like the set of a Christmas movie year-round. But when more than 500,000 LED lights cover every square inch of the village's storefronts and trees, it truly becomes a Hallmark-worthy destination.
The Smithsonian National Zoo's ZooLights experience isn't just a light show. There are still enough lights to cover nearly every square inch of the park's grounds—but there is also live music, a holiday market, and enough refreshment stands that visitors can forgo dinner.
During the festive season, 14 acres of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens transform into a mesmerizing, twinkling spectacle. Tickets run from around $10 per child for botanical garden members to $54 for a family of four with two adults and two children.