Lindon light enthusiast ushers in Christmas

LINDON, Utah County — Richard Holdman is perpetually preparing for Christmas.

In January, Holdman buys all the discounted outdoor Christmas lights he can find. In July, he builds and sets up lighted trees, arches and stars in his backyard. In October, he starts setting up his grand light display at his parents' Lindon home.

And throughout it all, he listens to Christmas music to find the right songs to accompany the spectacle.

"Christmas is never really coming," Holdman said. "Christmas is always here."

When December finally arrives and his display turns on, it uses 150,000 lights and more than 45,000 watts of electricity.

"I don't know how much it costs," Holdman said. "I have lost track, but I could have bought many four-wheelers and gone on many vacations."

Of all the animated light displays in Utah and the world, two things set Holdman's apart: The entire display runs on wind power, making it more environmentally friendly than other displays; and Holdman uses the display to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

"The first year I said, 'Let's just put a box out there and see what people donate,'" Holdman said. "That year we raised $10,000."

Holdman buys the power from a local wind farm, which replaces the energy from his local provider with wind power on the energy grid.

His hobby started in 2005 when his wife asked him to put a simple string of lights around the house. After he did, Holdman saw an animated light display on another house. With his background in Web design and media production, he decided to try it on his Pleasant Grove home.

"I have a tendency to go overboard," Holdman said.

Holdman spent the next year planning his animated display. That summer, while practicing with lit trees in his living room, his neighbor called to ask if everything was all right.

"He said, 'I saw a bunch of flashing lights. I wanted to make sure nothing was on fire,' " Holdman said.

Holdman's first display in 2006 was a huge success. Cars were backed up down the street waiting to see it. His 2007 display was even more popular.

"We had traffic backed up over a mile to see the lights," Holdman said. "The police came to try and clear the roads."

After that year, the Homeowner's Association in his gated community voted 11 to 13 not to open the gate in December and let people in to see the lights.

Too many residents had complained about the traffic. So Holdman moved his display to his parent's home in Lindon at 61 Kings Peak Dr.

Now he focuses all his attention on the Lindon display, without a single light on his Pleasant Grove home.

"Everyone has a hobby," Holdman said. "Mine just happens to be Christmas lights."

e-mail: ashaha@desnews.com