If you want to see what likely is the king of outdoor Christmas decorating, Mike Holtz’s home in Normal, Illinois, probably rules them all.
Holtz’s residence at 1210 W. Hovey Ave., a half-mile west of Route 66, features about 900 blow-mold Santas, gingerbread men, snowmen, reindeer and even a few aliens in his yard, on the walls and on the roof of his house. About 1,000 more decorations are in storage, reported the Bloomington Pantagraph.
In recent days, a resident with a TikTok account uploaded a short video of the display. It has been viewed at least 1.5 million times.
@lindseylmiller #christmas #christmaslights #holidaycountdown #holidaylights #santalights #snowmanlights
♬ It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas – Michael Bublé
Holtz said about a third of the collection was given to him, and he purchased many at garage sales and estate auctions.
Before inflation, to have his Christmas lights on from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day would add an extra $140 to his electric bill, but this year he’s estimating it to be around $150. He uses energy-efficient light bulbs to keep the costs down, he said. […]
To prevent fires and other mishaps, there are electrical boxes on all four corners of the house with five different circuits. The result is a system of electrical cords and extensions to connect everything together. He’s only had one incident when one of the boxes hanging from the trees caught fire. The blaze was spotted right away by a neighbor.
Holtz started his holiday collection about 30 years ago, but the eye-popping decor started to gain notice about 20 years ago when he won $500 in a local contest.
Holtz typically has the display turned on from 5 to 10 p.m. after Thanksgiving or until 11 p.m. close to Christmas.
(Image of Mike Holtz’s home in Normal, Illinois, via Bloomington-Normal Focus on Facebook)