Where are the best Christmas lights in SLO? City creates map to holiday home decorations
The city of San Luis Obispo has created a guide to local homes with dazzling holiday decorations
Community members can use the new SLO Holiday Home Light Map to find houses bedecked with Christmas lights, inflatable snowmen and more.
“This is the first year of the map and participation,” said Sarah Billeter, a community services specialist for the city. “Participants are private homeowners who are okay with people walking, biking and driving by to see their decorated homes but not to go on their property.”
Homes featured on the map as of Thursday included a house at 1727 Chorro St. that has spectacular reindeer props, a Santa’s Workshop shed and a candy cane street pole offering directions to the North Pole.
Down the street, Wayne Terry has decorated his 1912-era home with a penguin, a moose, a snowman and more.
Terry said he has been putting up holiday decorations at his property at 1902 Chorro St. for about 10 years.
He now has about 55,000 lights, which means he usually pays an extra $50 to $70 more a month during the holiday season. Terry usually keeps his holiday lights on until about 10 p.m. on weekdays and until 11 p.m. on weekends.
Terry has been broadcasting holiday music to go along with his festive display for about seven years. Brilliant lights blink on and off with the tunes.
“It started with my kids and I just added more and more,” Terry explained. “Other kids liked it, and people came by and checked out the lights. It adds joy and happiness.”
“This year,” he added, “you can even park across the street and watch the show in your car.”
“It’s a nice thing during the pandemic,” Terry said.
By following the city’s map, Billeter said community members can “enjoy a night walking, biking, scootering, etc., looking at the most decorated homes and displays near them.”
The map “was created to spread holiday cheer, showcase amazing decorations and to offer a safe holiday activity that families or roommates can enjoy together,” she said.
SLO home dazzles with holiday decorations
The holiday decorations at one San Luis Obispo home are so eye-catching that motorists flying down Madonna Road often come to a complete halt to look at them, homeowner Marty Henderson said.
Henderson said visitors are often dazzled by the level of detail on display, and snap photos.
Henderson, 65, said he has been decorating his home at 1619 Pereira Drive off Madonna Road for the holidays for about 30 years.
“The two most common questions people ask me are ‘How long does it take and what does it cost?’ ” he said.
Starting on the weekend before the Thanksgiving holiday, Henderson spends about 11 days each year setting up his display.
Henderson said it took him about five hours just to install lights around one of his trees. “I’m in no rush,” he added.
He keeps his home lit until 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. each night during the holiday season.
This year’s decorations include a Santa and Mrs. Claus in the front yard, a snowman on the roof and a spectrum of green, red, purple, and yellow lights.
“I started doing this when my kids were young, and set up some displays and it just snowballed from there, and I added more and more each year,” said Henderson, who registered his home on the city’s map on Thursday. “Now, they’re grown and come for Thanksgiving each year to help me put the lights up.”
“This year, with not much to do, it’s a great thing for people to be able to go look at lights,” Henderson said.
Henderson, who works part-time, said his holiday season electricity bill cost about $600 per month at its peak, about 20 years ago. He has since switched to LED lights and uses solar panels on his property to bring his lighting costs down significantly.
Henderson used about 500 strands of LED light bulbs this year.
“I’m not even sure what my bill is exactly,” he said, “but I know that when I switched to LEDs light per light, that dropped the cost about 80%.”
Unlike other homeowners whose properties are featured on the city map, Henderson said he allows visitors onto his property to check out the displays.
“I enjoy it and think other people enjoy it,” he said.
How to find Christmas lights, register homes
As of Thursday, the SLO Holiday Home Light Map included 14 residences with displays. See them at https://tinyurl.com/y34tx6zs
To register a seasonal display on the map, fill out the following Google form: https://tinyurl.com/y6majqgl.
For details, email Sarah Billeter at sbillete@slocity.org.
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