Yantis family’s annual 3-acre Christmas lights display goes on despite high energy costs

YANTIS, Texas (KLTV) - A well-known Yantis home is gearing up for their annual three-acre Christmas lights display.

It all started in 2003 with homeowner, Debra Kendall and her love for the holiday season. Her husband, Wayne, began with simple decorations. That soon turned into something big, catching the attention of locals each year.

“Somebody made a comment that they know Christmas is here whenever the Santas go up and the lights come on and they look forward to it,” said Wayne.

The Kendall family says they start bringing out the decorations and lights around September. And once November 1 comes, they are putting it up to go live Thanksgiving night.

Friends and family members will help set up. We spoke to Wayne and Debra’s grandson, Lucas, who has helped out since he was only four years old. Lucas says he enjoys helping his grandparents because it’s a time when he can bond with them, since he lives in Sulphur Springs.

“We’ve been doing it for so long and we really enjoy doing it. We really do. It’s just a part of us now, I guess you could say.” said Lucas.

But this year, the high cost of electricity was a concern. Debra says the bill is usually around $400. And now, they are expecting a bill of $1000.

Wayne says, “We talked about scaling it down and then we just decided to go ahead and pull the trigger and just do it.”

Debra says people come by and give monetary donations; they use that money for the light bill. And despite the high cost, they want to continue the tradition for the community.

“To see how people react to it, it brings a lot of joy to everyone involved and I feel like that’s why we still do it,” Lucas said.

You can find the Kendall family’s Christmas light display at 1607 County Road 1960 in Yantis.

They will keep the display up until January 1. It is open to the public free of charge.

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