Hezekiah Wahl remembers when he was a young boy and his large family would pile into their oversized van and head to Huntsville to view the lavish light show at the city’s botanical garden.

These yearly visits inspired him and his brother, Isaiah, to recruit the help of their six siblings to put together what has become an extravagant Christmas light display of 20,000 lights.

The display covers a small portion of the family’s 200-acre farm and includes wooden reindeer, Christmas characters and a huge star atop an 80-foot tree. The hodgepodge of spirited decorations and hundreds of strands of lights have been collected over the years.

Wahl said some, like the giant star, were given to them by friends. This year, an inflatable, lighted arch that visitors can drive through was added to the collection.

Wahl and his siblings start working on the display in late October. He said it takes them about two weeks to get everything up and ready for visitors, but not a detail is missed.

Timers make sure everything turns on at dusk and off at midnight. A miniature transmitter Wahl incorporated into the display allows those driving by to tune their vehicle radios to Christmas music.

Free to the public, the light show makes a quarter-mile loop on a portion of the Wahls’ property at 8971 Lentzville Road in Athens. Visitors are welcome now through Dec. 31.

“We do this because we enjoy our community and Christmas and what Christmas is all about—Jesus and family,” Wahl said. “Our neighbors tell us how much they look forward to our display every year.”