Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1513394
12 UCW DECEMBER 20-26, 2023 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM e Man Who Recaptured Joy e cul-de-sac on Lakewood is small — only a couple of homes sit nestled on the shallow inlet that abuts Mirror Lake in the neighbor- hood of Vanstory Hills. Most of the year, the small street would go unnoticed. ere is nothing that would make this street any different from the next. But just after anksgiving, sometime around the be- ginning of December, a transformation hap- pens at the modest, ranch-style brick house in the middle of the cul-de-sac. e lawn becomes a sea of lights and char- acters dressed in red, white or both. Behind a display of at least 70 Christmas inflatables, the house is hardly visible. At the end of the driveway, a giant red and fully functional letterbox sits perched on the curb with the words "Letters to Santa" written on the front. A gigantic joy sign shines bright on the opposite side of the yard. Its letters stand more than 5 feet tall, with twinkling lights inside each one. Signs in front of the yard direct passers-by to a radio station they can tune into for a syn- chronized musical experience. At this time of year, the home is hard to miss, even from a distance. Just inside the house, sits Bryan Lake, dressed in a short-sleeve button-up shirt and jeans. His wife, Stephanie, sits beside him, listening to him recount how their yard came to be so decorated. e living room shelves behind them display Christmas Village tiny homes, string lights and puffs of cotton made to look like snow. He has lights and raw wiring strung across the floor near a tree he is work- ing on. Bryan details his history of the love of both Christmas and its decor. Bryan grew up in what he would refer to as a solidly middle-class family. Even so, he recalls the decorations of his childhood home being more than average. "It was ingrained in me since childhood," he says, smiling. During his childhood, Christmas was a spe- cial time of family gatherings and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. To this end, he still hangs a lit cross above an empty manger at the end of his display. He would prefer passers-by to remember the reason for the celebration. At the age of 14, Bryan says, the light-heart- ed feel of Christmas dimmed. Bryan sits up straighter on the couch. He starts his sentence, stops and then restarts as his voice trembles softly. Bryan begins to tear up as he tries to get the words out. Stephanie is, too, sure of the story he is starting to tell. "My mother got sick and passed away. I re- member the Christmas before she got sick and then the last Christmas she had — She passed away shortly after." And for many years after that, Bryan ad- mits, Christmas was different. His world had changed completely. "Christmas became a pretty depressing time. You put on that happy face, but you struggle with things that you spend a lifetime dealing with, quite frankly. Christmas was a difficult time for me for a lot of years until my kids came along." Many years later, Bryan would find joy in Christmas again. He and his wife Stephanie purchased an inflatable Minnie and Mickey Mouse for their front lawn in 2013 or 2014. "at's what started it," Bryan says. "Seeing Christmas again through the eyes of children. at excitement … happiness that I had lost somewhere along the way." Both Bryan and Stephanie smile at the memory. "It has come full circle back to where it can be my favorite time of year," he says. While the original Mickey and Minnie have since been retired, Bryan and Stephanie have held onto them. Maybe one day, Bryan admits, he'll get them back up and out of disrepair. He is sentimental. He still holds on to an old Christmas tree that belonged to his parents. His voice breaks a little when he mentions it. e original inflatables led to a few more inflatables and then more lights. Year after year, Bryan would buy more inflatables on the postseason sales. As packed as his yard is this year, Bryan says he has probably 30 more inflatables that he just hasn't put out yet. e lights he puts out for Halloween always help him get a jump start on the infrastructure for Christmas, but even still, it's an undertak- ing. Bryan takes off most ursdays and Fridays in November to begin his prep work for the Christmas display. Sometimes, his kids will help, but often, he'll be out during the day or after dark adjusting cords and wires and con- figuring a diagram for the display. "It gives me time to think and reflect on some of those childhood memories. Some- times, it's freezing cold or dark, but I kind of like it. My alone time, I guess." By the time Bryan completes his display, he has put in more than 150 hours and ends up with 70 inflatables, dozens of lights, and other displays. He plans every year to have it all out by the Sunday after anksgiving. "I don't know the last time I made that," he says lightheartedly of his self-imposed dead- line. COVER Christmas magic: Fayetteville residents create holiday curbside joy by KATHLEEN RAMSEY e Lake's house in Vanstory Hills is full of Christmas delights for passersby. (Photos by Kathleen Ramsey) Bryan Lake, left, and his wife Stephanie, stand in front of their Christmas display inside their home. Bryan plans, designs and sets up the outside display beginning right after Halloween.