Winter wanderland

WEST VALLEY CITY — The Christmas season brings all kinds of traditions. For a street in West Valley City, 15 houses have kept the tradition of telling a famous Christmas story with lights.

Allen Adams, 48, started the tradition 21 years ago on 5374 S. 3325 West.

"When I was a kid my dad always took us out to see Christmas lights," Adams said. "He took us to the original Christmas Street and Bible Street in Sugar House."

As Adams got older and had a house of his own, he pitched the idea to his neighbors to start their own Christmas Street with the theme, " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas."

"We hand-painted the boards in my garage," he said.

As it became more consistent every year, Adams said they started petitioning to the City Council 18 years ago for assistance.

"We needed some help with some things and they gave it to us," he said.

Although it is not a requirement to participate in the event, if someone is selling a house on the street they typically leave the lights for the next owner.

"Each house has at least 100 strands of lights," Adams said.

Adams said it is their way of giving to the community.

"We just do it because we like to give at Christmastime," he said.

Simon Manu, a resident on the street, said he has lived there for three years.

"I'm from New Zealand and my wife is a local," Manu said. "She has visited this street since she was a child. They knew the house was on that street when they bought it."

Manu said they don't just set up the lights.

"It's not that it's a requirement, it makes the neighborhood look great," Manu said.

Shauna Richards has been putting up lights for 12 years since she moved onto 9708 S. South Pointe Road, South Jordan.

"It's been a tradition since I was a kid and something I've just carried on through my life," she said. "It's also my gift to the community for people to enjoy."

They have so many lights on their house that they had to hire an electrician to rewire a part of the house because they kept blowing fuses.

"He said we had enough power to light the whole street," Richards said. "I'm sure he was exaggerating, but it was funny, nonetheless."