While many people simply hang a wreath on the door and call it a day, other families really go above and beyond to create stunning Christmas displays for their neighbors. For the past two years, Rick Carrillo has worked hard to give his house the most talked-about Christmas decorations in all of El Paso, Texas.
Last year, Rick created a multi-sensory Christmas display in honor of his daughter Susana’s first Christmas. This year, he decided to incorporate his family’s love of all things Disney into his creation, designing a synchronized light show complete with music and video clips taken from Disney favorites like “Cinderella,” “Peter Pan,” “Moana,” and more. Rick says he modeled the display after the nightly fireworks shows at Walt Disney World.
“As a kid, we didn’t have a lot of money, and my dad was able to take us to Disneyland any chance he could, so we have a lot of memories with Disney shows… you just get this feeling that anything is possible, your dreams can come true,” Rick explained. “I’m thankful that everybody seems to be really enjoying it.”
Rick’s magical creation took three months to put together. He spent a lot of time up on a ladder rigging up lights on the roof, garage, and yard, then an additional 70 to 100 hours on his computer setting the whole thing to music and video. He started on the project in October and had an unveiling ceremony for his family and neighbors on December 1.
“It takes time to build something like this, and I think the results speak for themselves,” he said, adding that since El Paso has had a string of negative news stories this year he felt it was especially important to do something uplifting for his community. “This is a way for them to enjoy Christmas and get their mind off of things for a while,” said Rick.
What a fantastic gift to give your neighbors and community! This year’s display will stay up until January 6, and Rick and his family plan to keep this new tradition going for many years to come. We can’t wait to see what he comes up with next year.
