West Seattle’s Christmas light show draws in hundreds

It’s that time of year — houses covered with Christmas lights and decorations to usher in the holiday season. KIRO 7 crews saw their fair share of displays Sunday evening throughout the area, but one house on 47th Street has attracted hundreds of people to the neighborhood since Thanksgiving.

Kent Stroker and Ryan Olson are the masterminds behind “the show” that can be seen every night from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The show plays 12 songs every 40 minutes during that span. According to them, the largest crowd they had at one point Saturday was over 200 people.

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“You know, the last few years have been kind of not the best. And so, we wanted to give back to folks and give them something to remember,” Stroker said.

Stroker says it took about a year to put the whole thing together. There is about a mile’s length of chords in use for the lights, and thousands of bulbs lighting up the neighborhood. Olson says one of the really cool things about the light show, is how the lyrics of the song that is playing are displayed on the window out front.

“We also have the lyrics to the song displayed above one of the windows,” Olson said.

There were plenty of families singing, dancing, and enjoying the show Sunday night. During the show, people constantly came up to them, thanking them for the show and the holiday spirit that they have brought to the neighborhood.

“It’s actually been really kind of cool to connect with neighbors further away, besides next door and on this street,” Olson said.

Stroker and Olson say there have been plenty of people from outside the area who have stopped by to enjoy the show.

“A family that had immigrated here in February. And they were able to bring their children down and watch this. And they were absolutely amazed. And that was great to have,” Olson said.

Stroker says the project has brought out their creative side.

“And then there is all the sequencing. So, there is the physical side of this hobby. And then there is the artistical side and that’s the sequence,” Stroker said.

Olson says while it was a long process, he and Stroker loved putting in the work.

“For me, it’s bittersweet. There were times when we were putting this together … and my mother loved Christmas. She was just crazy about it.”

“And somewhere in the universe, she is looking at this right now and loving it. And if she was still alive, I know I would be flying back and forth to Nebraska to help her build one. And she would be demanding it,” Olson said.

“It kind of means everything. I don’t think we’ve had enough of it anymore. And it’s time that we start rebuilding,” Stroker said.

Prior to their Christmas show, Stroker and Olson also put up a Halloween light show that drew in some crowds. They only run the Christmas light show for four hours, out of respect for their neighbors, whom they have talked to about it. They do ask that if people want to come to see the lights, to park a block or two away from the house. That way, traffic won’t be as tough for everyone.

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