You guys! I met Mr. & Mrs. Claus!

Okay, in real life, they’re Billy & Ragan Lewis - but I’m convinced no one does Christmas (or life) quite like they do!

From the moment I first laid eyes on their house, I was swept away by its charm. And the story behind how this story came to be, is quite enchanting too!

I’LL BE RIGHT OVER

Always on the lookout for what’s buzzing around town, as soon as I saw Ragan’s Facebook post announcing the light show at their house, I immediately Googled the address. Luckily for me, they live right around the corner, so I was able to walk over just in time to catch the 7 o’clock “snow” show.

I arrived a few minutes before 7, and stood in absolute awe of their display.  I truly have never ever seen a house decorated like this.  The style is, what I now know, described as “Classic Christmas” - all white lights, and so much nostalgia, of which I couldn’t put my finger on why it touched me so deeply until I met with them. More on that later, but first let’s explore the outside.

CHRISTMAS DISPLAY - OUTSIDE

LET IT SNOW, LET IS SNOW, LET IT SNOW

I’m putting this first, because it is my favorite thing!

They wanted snow to be part of this display, but found the standard snow machines too noisy, disrupting the serene atmosphere. Ragan’s dad offered a genius solution: bubbles! Now, six bubble machines are strategically placed throughout the yard, creating a whimsical, snow-like effect that enhances the wonder without the roar. The bubbles run for 15 minutes every night at 6, 7 & 8 PM.

The first night I went, there was another family there too. It was a beautiful night, with full moon rising over the back of their house, and we all just stood in silence taking it in. One of them whispered “Isn’t something supposed to be happening?”

Just then - so softly - the bubbles started to fill the air. I have never seen bubbles in the nighttime and to look up and have them illuminated overhead… I know it may sound silly, but even writing about this experience now, chokes me up. It was so magical and touched me in a way that I was not expecting! My bubble was blown!

A few days later, when I met with them, this is what I learned:

THE OVERALL OUTSIDE DISPLAY

• The outside display was inspired by a picture from a magazine and has evolved over time. (Ragan brings me the picture that hangs on their vision board.)

• They have been decorating the house every year since they first moved in.

• This now yearly event, started because The Verrado Assembly invited them to participate in the holiday home decorating contest. Ever humble, they were genuinely surprised to learn their display was considered contest-worthy.

• Billy always wears his Clark Griswold jersey when decorating and putting up the lights.

• With the complexities of connecting all the light strings, Billy learned how to make his own extension cords to simplify and streamline the entire process.

• No LED lights are used in their displays - only incandescent bulbs - all white!

• As a nod to his New Mexican heritage and traditions, including luminaries in the display was most important to Billy. If you’re not familiar with luminaries (I knew what they were, I just didn’t know what they were called), they’re the glowing “lunch bags” that add timeless charm throughout the yard.

• Billy also learned to wire electricity to the wreaths on the windows instead of constantly having to change the batteries required for typical fairy lights.

• For the 3rd year now, Billy appears for one night as Santa. This past Sunday they estimate at least 100 visitors stopped by; they handed out that many candy canes too! Naturally, Ragan, was present as Mrs. Claus.

• The purchasing of the live Poinsettias is strategically planned in advance. Every Black Friday, they wake up early and head to the store to stock up. Since there’s a buying limit - 16 per person - the whole family joins in to make it happen. This year, they brought home a total of - are you ready for this? - 96 Poinsettias!!! [See Photo Below]

• At the end of the season, the Poinsettias are given away on the local “Buy Nothing” page. Every year, all plants are distributed to others. One year a lady mentioned to Ragan that she was taking one to put on her sister’s grave. (Ragan was touched by that, knowing the flowers are being put to good use instead of just tossed away.)

• Billy is very organized with index card directions for “easy” re-creation the following year. They even created a map of the entire front yard, complete with the placement of every extension cord and labeled bushes!

• It takes approximately 3 days to decorate the yard, but I get the sense that it’s never really done. They are constantly aiming for perfection and scrutinizing the details. They give it their all in an effort to make sure people have a great experience!

• And the million dollar question that everyone wants to know: Where do they store it all? The answer: On site! Everything is neatly packed (and labeled) into storage bins and stacked in the garage like a game of Tetris, making use of every inch of space.

I’M OBSESSED

If you guys could have seen me on Saturday night when I saw their display for the first time…

I stood in front of their house texting and calling my neighbors and telling them to get off the couch and GET OVER HERE! It felt like a 911 emergency to me! “I don’t care if you’re already in your pajamas, you need to see this!” 

Even funnier, that night I trotted home (laughing at myself because I don’t normally move that fast) and went straight to my desk with my hair on fire to figure out how to add them to the holiday light listings in The Buzz.

I don’t like to add personal residence address information unless I know people are okay with that being published and, luckily, I was able to determine the Lewises had already added their house to the City of Buckeye’s Hometown Holiday Light Competition.² (See this map for all participating houses.)

At this point, my only goal was to get everyone to see this house! It just didn’t even occur to me at the time there was a BETTER way to do that, than individually calling and texting my friends. Duh, I know! 😆 

ME, MAKING PLANS FOR STORIES

The next day was Sunday and I went about my day intent on gathering information for the story I planned on writing this week. I spent all day out and about, only to realize at the end of a very long day, that I was not going to be able to write about THAT story as it wasn’t aligned with my standards for The Buzz.

It was now Sunday at 7 PM, with a publication deadline looming and no clue what I should now write about. Enter my anxiety! I had to quickly remind myself to trust the force that guides who and what is featured in the writing of these stories.

I include all of this seemingly irrelevant information to highlight (once again) that there is something bigger going on behind The Buzz and I’m just along for the (wild) ride. As I’ve written before, these stories cannot be controlled.

THE ASSIGNMENT

Right after I decided to pull the plug on my intended feature story, Ragan responded to the comment I had made on her FaceBook post. I immediately felt a spark in my heart.¹

At that moment, it became clear that THAT was the story I was meant to write this week, but not without my being slightly perplexed by the “assignment.”

A STORY ABOUT CHRISTMAS LIGHTS?

Sunday evening after hearing about my strange day, Mr. Buzz asked “Well, now what are you going to write about?” And, following the spark, I had to go along with it… “I guess I’m writing about the house with Christmas lights 🤷‍♀️.”

I mean, it’s a brilliant idea - I just wish I had thought of it! Although, honestly, I wasn’t sure how I could write a whole story about Christmas lights.

I find this part of story “assignment” and this whole “story writing” process to be highly amusing - and the end result (3,362 words later) surprises me every single time it happens!

Still, I decide to sleep on the idea. The next morning, Monday, I message Ragan and we schedule to meet later that night.

NOTE THIS 

There’s another seemingly irrelevant detail that I have to tell you about now because, well, it’s a sign, and I live my life by signs from above!

Prior to my heading to the meeting, I was at the high school. As I walked to the football field, seeing the tennis courts gave me the idea that I should reach out to the coach we hired a few years ago to give our son tennis lessons and ask if I could share his information in The Buzz.

I myself hadn’t seen this fella in probably three years, and he & I last communicated by text in April, when I was intent on hiring him to help me with my tennis game. But then life got in the way and I still haven’t had a chance to reschedule with him.

Hold that thought.

TRANSPORTED BACK IN TIME

An hour later, I arrive at the Lewis residence with a plan: Ask my 5 questions and stay no longer than 30 minutes. I figured they’d come outside, we’d talk briefly, and then I’d be on my way.

And then, as I entered their yard through the arch on their walkway, I crossed the threshold to the magic.

Halfway up the stairs (and I remember the moment it struck me), something happened - I became a kid again! I was giddy when I realized that I was about to knock on the door to this house! I felt like I was walking into Santa’s Workshop. 

And right then, I caught a waft of something that SMELLED like Christmas! I thought maybe I imagined it, but later learned all senses are considered in the design!

DING-DONG!

Just as I pressed the doorbell, it dawned on me that I may be going INSIDE this AMAZING HOUSE and that it was probably going to be AMAZING too!   

When Mrs. Claus (aka Ragan) opened the door, I lost my mind!  Her husband was behind her and they were just THE CUTEST! They are SO FUN! Their love for Christmas, for celebrating (“we decorate for every holiday!!!”), and for each other was immediately VERY apparent.

At this point I should remind you, that I’m not a Christmas or holiday person AT ALL.  As I write this, I still have only ONE ornament on our tree and the tree itself is up only because I was inspired to “Christmas” after visiting THIS house a few days ago. 

If someone like me - who isn’t exactly a Christmas fanatic - can be completely blown away by what these two have created, imagine how much you Christmas lovers would adore it. Had I known I’d be stepping inside their house tonight, I would’ve gone to bed dreaming about it. I’m not kidding - this is beyond words.

I’m going to have to try to show you what I mean…

IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY ON ALSAP

They invite me in and I am… speechless! I hadn’t prepared myself for the potentiality of going INSIDE! I sit down, trying to take it all in! And, in an effort to stay true to my half-hour schedule, I try to focus on the questions I prepared.

Except, now I have 10,000 more questions! 🤣

We get to talking and Ragan asks me a few questions. Not being familiar with The Buzz, she wants to know if I write about good & bad things. When I tell her my purpose in doing this and don’t write about the “bad” because there’s just too much good to write about. Ragan likes to focus on the good too and shares her motto with me:

WAIT, DO I KNOW YOU?

As we’re talking, I can’t get over that fact that Mr. Claus looks very familiar. I finally ask him what his name is and he says “Billy.” And, I’m like, “No way! I’m Vanessa, Griffin’s mom!”

Then I tell him about the idea I just had about him when I was at the high school.

Coach Billy is the tennis coach I was just thinking about and now I’m sitting in his house?!

I mean, come on! You can see why I keep mentioning the involvement of Source in the creation of The Buzz!  When this happens in the moment, I take it as confirmation that I’m on the right track about following the spark that led me to write this story! My heart pings again.

ALL FOR LOVE

I left that night - 2 hours later - after discussing everything under the sun - with lots of notes, and close to 100 photos (mine and the photos & videos Ragan sent later) to sift through. There is SO MUCH I could and want to share about them but I’m going to have to share that in future issues.

They decorate for every occasion, throw parties at every opportunity, and celebrate living life to the fullest every single day.

After meeting them for only such a short time, it is evident that the magic that powers all of it is their love for each other and their deep calling to serve others. I have never met a couple so perfectly suited for one another and everything we get to experience that they share with the world, is created on the foundation of LOVE.

That is why, when I saw their house for the first time, I FELT in my heart! You undoubtably experienced that too, if you’ve visited their house.

And the same thing happened immediately when they opened the door to their house (their heart):

CHRISTMAS DISPLAY - INSIDE

THE OVERALL INSIDE DISPLAY

• When do they start decorating? The Christmas decor does not come out until after Thanksgiving (because there is Thanksgiving decor in its place). [This is my first question because I can’t even fathom how long it takes to put this together - you know, me, with still only one ornament on my tree.]

• For quick re-creation the following year, they also have pictures of the inside displays and the bins for items are labeled by area (kitchen, hutch, etc.). These are also stored the garage.

• They have a total of 12 Christmas trees inside the house! The main tree, in the living room (pictured above) has a theme and the rule is: Red, Santa and Family Ornaments.

• Billy has his own themed tree dedicated to Star Wars & Marvel.

• They have a “travel tree” decorated with only ornaments they buy while visiting other places.

• Ragan’s #1 rule is a wreath on the front door. [At this point, Billy asks her “How many wreaths have you bought for your friends?” - No door of a friend of Ragan’s shall lack one.]

• There is a wreath for every door and mirror in the house for every holiday. Billy points out the one “real” wreath hanging on the door near the kitchen - having a real wreath is also a must.

• Every area of their house is decorated, even the bathrooms!

• The details matter! Even the night lights are special! [See photo above, lower right corner]

• The authentic scents of Christmas inside the home are thoughtfully created with candles and a few of Billy’s special tricks.

• Ragan is absolutely obsessed (her word) with Santa. She showed me a few from her collection, including a particularly charming and unique one she found at a thrift store. I couldn’t help but admire her taste - she collects Nordic-style Santas, which just so happens that I have several of those in my collection too! (Fun, odd fact about me: My Christmas decorations, collected over my lifetime, are among my most prized possessions.)

• Their decorations are bought on-sale and while bargain hunting or have also been collected over their lifetimes.

• I reached out to Ragan later and asked about the stockings hanging on their mantel. She shared that she researched those for a month, visiting countless stores before finally finding them at Hobby Lobby for half off!

• She had the carved wooden name plates that hang on the stockings made by someone local here in Verrado. She uses those same name plates on each family member’s place settings during other special occasions.

• The “gems” on the stockings that add a sparkle - they’re napkin holders! So creative, yet so simple!

• I comment on the beautiful basket [pictured above, lower left corner] and she tells me she found that at a garage sale. 🤯 

• And, finally, yes, their electric bill increases by several hundred dollars because of all the lights.

THE SECRET

In the days following meeting them, and as I prepared to write this, I still had one burning question and that was "How do you make this all happen?!”

In addition to all this, they also both work and both are involved in NUMEROUS different volunteer organizations. How do they find the time?

I texted with each of them individually and they gave the same answer:

It all comes down to being a great team, making lists, prioritizing and - pay attention - finishing one thing before they move on to the next.

I’m pretty sure they have elves involved, but even if they admitted this to me, I’d never tell!

INSPIRED?

I now want to be them! This all is so much fun! The joy is infectious!

Ragan leaves me with one simple piece of advice: Pick one area of your house and focus on decorating just that section.

IS IT VALENTINE’S DAY YET?

Because of the peace and happiness their house brings me, I’m already preparing myself for when it’s over. Luckily, Valentine’s Day is only 57 days away, and yes, I’ve got my calendar noted so I remember to go see that LOVE too!

THAT’S A WRAP! 🎁 

To the Lewises: Thank you for everything you do for our community! It’s people like you who make living life here feel like a Hallmark movie!

And, for the first time in a very long time, I got to be reminded of the magic of Christmas. I truly need that! Thank you!

My life is forever changed by what I thought was just going to be a simple story about some incredible Christmas lights. What a gift to meet you! ❤️ 

With that, I’m off to finally decorate my tree! And, don’t worry, Ragan, I’ll make sure there’s a wreath on our door too! 😉 

P.S. - If you find any typos, please ignore them. I’m a perfectionist in recovery and they don’t typically appear - like magic - until after I hit publish. 😅 

Do you have a favorite person, place or thing you’d like to see featured here? Email me the details @ [email protected]

1  Feeling the ping of that “spark” was a good reminder for me to pay attention to that to help me distinguish what and who I want to write about here.

2  Update: Apparently, the City of Buckeye is NOT conducting a “contest” this year. Only a map. My apologies, I was provided with conflicting information about this and it’s now been confirmed by the person in that department.