A drive around Hollister to view Christmas lights holds a special treat for anyone who drives through Mesa Drive.
The annual Mesa Drive Christmas Light and Music Show is underway in Hollister, where two neighboring houses are not only decorated from ground to roof-topping tree in lights, but the patterns in their light shows match an FM station played by a small range transmitter. The yearly light and music show is run by Steve and Janice Brown, and Jim and Laurie Jared.
“We started off with just a few controllers and now it’s a lot more,” said Steve Brown.
This year’s event began Nov. 27 and runs through Dec. 31, and according to locals, is in its sixth year. On Saturdays, families can visit with Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Jimmy the Elf.
“We make it a tradition to come over here every year,” said Jason Lawrence, of Hollister. He cranked up the car radio and stood with his family on the roadside to admire the view and hear the accompanying tunes.
“It’s a good thing for the kids to come out and watch,” said Chelsea Gavin, of Hollister, who listened to the Christmas music on her car stereo with her children. “I come every year.”
Visitors are encouraged to be mindful to the other houses in the neighborhood, but cars can get crowded as they either drive by or park to listen and watch to the festive display.
“The closer you get to Christmas, the more congested it gets out here,” said Steve Brown.
“That’s why we only do it until 9 o’clock, Sunday through Thursday,” said Janice Brown. “Everybody’s pretty good about it and we haven’t had any issues thus far.”
“Our neighbors have been real good about it,” said Steve Brown. “We try to let them know, and we’ve been doing this for a while.”
The spectating is exactly why the two families run the show. Janice Brown noted, “It’s something we feel we can do for the community. At the time we started, there wasn’t anything like this. The kids like it. People that don’t have a lot of family come and enjoy it. We have repeaters that are here every night.”
When asked about the cost of the lights, Steve Brown said, “It’s actually not as much as you would think.” He noted the lights are LED, not incandescent, and added, “The fact that the lights aren’t on all the time, they’re going on and off. It’s like $90 a month more. It’s not a huge amount. If the lights were all on all the time, then it’d probably be a lot more.” He added, “I wouldn’t do it if I couldn’t afford to do it. It’s all about charity and people enjoying it.”
Steve Brown went on to say, “A lot of people come to our door and offer us money to help pay. But it’s not about that. If they want to make a donation, it goes to the ‘House’.”
The charity in question in the Emmaus House. Between both the Jared and Brown houses is a signpost and collection bin calling for donations. Donors are encouraged to bring canned and non-perishable items for Emmaus House.
Steve Brown said the bin has been out every year. He credited Jim Jared with selecting Emmaus House as the recipient of donations. “We decided that’s what we’d stick with. We get about 30-40 bags of food and some cash every year.” He noted it’s as simple as bringing something to put in the bin.
The start of the music and light show was credited to Jim Jared. Steve Brown said, “He was basically the Griswold that started it because he had all the lights and we had lights, but not nearly what he had.” The joint venture came about five years ago, as he went on to say, “We’re both electricians. I’m kind of a techie kind of guy. So I saw a thing for a company that sells controllers. I asked him if he was interested and spent about eight months programming.”
That first light and music show triggered an ongoing tradition. The expansion has led to a total setup time of about 40 hours, according to the Browns, who noted the trees take about eight hours.
The nearly two hours of music is on rotation, played out over the small residential transmitter. There are lyrical Christmas songs and high energy orchestra pieces, about 35 in total.
Regarding the music, Janice Brown said, “There’s something in there for everybody.”
While the weeknights include a lot of park-and-listen or drive-and-listen, the Saturday Santa events are when the light and music show becomes a community event. “We do the Santa thing, give candy canes out to the kids, and parents can bring their cameras and take pictures,” said Janice brown.
The annual Mesa Drive Christmas Light and Music Show runs daily, from 6 to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and 6 to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The two remaining Santa events are planned for Dec. 12 and 19, and will run from 7 to 8 p.m. A lighted signpost directs spectators as to which FM frequency to tune in.
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