Growing up in Carmel and Monterey, you can always count on certain holiday traditions. I am delighted each year to see the joy in my own son’s eyes when we take him to Candy Cane Lane. Here are a few places to check out that will be sure to get you and your family in the holiday spirit.
Candy Cane Lane Morse Road off Forest Avenue in Pacific Grove
Starting the first weekend in December, tons of families are drawn to Candy Cane Lane, located on Morse Drive. Platt Park is a small grassy area in the middle of Morse Drive, where spectators can see Snoopy and Tweety Bird taking a ride on a Ferris wheel. There are some cute cutouts and a real sleigh all ready for a Christmas photo selfie. Many Disney, Pixar and Sesame Street characters are also found nearby. Santa himself makes appearances as well.
The real spectacle is the homes surrounding the park, lit up with lots of bright, colorful lights. My favorite home, located off Morse Drive on the corner of Beaumont and McFarland Avenues has a real treat. A huge animatronic Nutcracker! I also enjoy the house lit up in blue with the Elvis popping up, enjoying a true “Blue Christmas”.
Whether you decide to park and walk Candy Cane Lane or do a “drive-by”, I am certain you will want to make this a part of your holiday tradition.
508 Dennett Street, Pacific Grove www.pgchristmas.com
Another great spot is nearby on 508 Dennett Street, Pacific Grove. This house is reminiscent of the one in the Danny Devito film, “Deck the Halls.” Each year since 1996, Michael and Christine have spent hours of their time and money providing this synchronized music light show for their community.
The display used to be 25,000 lights. The new LED ‘Pixels’ lights are much brighter and can be any color, so they need far fewer lights than when they used incandescent lights. As of 2016, the light count was approximately 5,000-pixel bulbs.
The controllers are mostly San Devices E682 controllers. The software to program the lights is called XLights/Nutcracker. The ‘Computer’ to run the show is a $35 Rasberry Pi. The computer connects to the control boards over a 1-gigabit network using the Cat5e network cable. The music comes out of the computer (through the speaker jack) and is broadcast through an EDM FM transmitter. The fixtures (arches, trees, roof lights, etc.) are custom built. Most of the display is mounted on boards and pipes, making for a much easier setup. The entire show can be set up in about 60 hours.
Check their website for more information and this year’s dates. I can’t wait to experience this again this December!
718 Marion Avenue Salinas
The DJ Frank Holiday Light Show is located near the corner of Marion Ave/College Drive in Salinas, down the block from Mission Park School. Stop by between 6:00 and 10:00 PM every night through New Year’s Day. Visitors will need a car radio set to 104.7 FM to hear the show.
2580 Bean Creek Road Scotts Valley
For over a decade, everything, including the forest have been lit up at the 2000 block of Bean Creek Road in Scotts Valley.
In December until after New Year’s Day, Danielle and Tim Woods’ home starts shining daily with thousands of lights, dozens of snowmen and a 12-foot-tall Olaf character from Disney’s “Frozen”.
The couple starts creating this spectacle in October, which takes them nearly 90 hours to complete. Each year it keeps getting bigger since Danielle loves to add to the collection of lights and decorations.
Tim manages 48 channels of computer controls; every one requires a separate chord. The lights glow till 10 p.m. weeknights and 10:30 p.m. on weekends.
The couple has a bin for donations at the bottom of the driveway, which is about 2.5 miles from the light on Scotts Valley Drive. The home is toward the north end of Bean Creek Road. Food donations and other gifts go to Valley Churches United Missions food pantry and outreach in Ben Lomond. The pantry feeds families in need year-round and offers other forms of support. The outreach is at 9400 Highway 9.
Leave a Reply