For many, packing the kids in the family car and driving around to look at Christmas lights is a tradition this time of year. There’s one magical Christmas light display on Lady’s Island that provides lots of holiday cheer as it dazzles visitors of all ages each and every year.
It’s the Cadd family, and as of Saturday night, November 25th, they’re at it again. You know it’s Christmas time in Beaufort SC when…..
For the past several years, David and Amanda Cadd have been setting up a display at their house that has people coming to see it from all over. After several years at one property, the family moved a short way down the road to a larger property a few years ago.
“We needed more room for all of this,” David said with a smile. “My wife wants even more still, and she’ll get it, too”
Located at 66 Springfield Road at the north end of the island just off of Sams Point Road, the cul de sac they call home comes alive at Christmas time.
Seeing so much fun over the holidays, even the neighbors get involved, and each of the three homes on the street have something special.
“When we moved here a couple of years ago, we didn’t set up the display because we didn’t want to freak the neighbors out,” David said. “Since then, they got involved, too, and it’s lots of fun.”
A sign along the street asks folks to ‘park along the main road’ and walk down the secondary road to see the lights. After you get out of your car, the entry way is quite grand and you’ll ooh and awe as you walk to the house.
At the end of the street is the Cadd’s, and their Christmas light display is quite massive.
In the walk through display, kids are greeted by Anna & Elsa, Frosty, Garfield, Rudolph, a talking Grinch, Yukon Cornelius, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang, a talking Santa, and even Yetis, among dozens of other characters they know and love; all gathered in a lighted winter wonderland complete with a snow machine and a moving lifelike Santa and Mrs. Claus sitting in their rocking chairs.
There’s Christmas music playing outside and the lights are all dancing, synchronized to the songs being played. The playlist includes Jingle Bells, It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas and Music Box Dancer, and songs from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, among others.
If you’ve visited in the past, you may want to go back again. They’ve added several new displays over the last few Christmases, including another snow machine, and a very nice Santa sleigh with moving reindeer, and several more.
We love that people enjoy this and the looks on the youngsters’ faces are absolutely priceless,” David said. “Christmas is magical.”
How much work is it?
It takes quite a bit to set it all up too. David says they work for several weeks to put it all together and usually start before Halloween, sometimes even in September.
In fact, it takes tens of thousands of lights, over 1,500 feet of extension cords, and well over 200 hours to set it all up.
“Each year it gets bigger,” David said as he pointed to a few small spots around the yard that, surprisingly, have no lights or displays.
What about their electric bill?
“It only goes up with an increase of about $360 for the season, total,” David said.
A small price to pay for a Christmas gift that makes so many people happy each year.
The light display will be up from November 25th through December 27th. Sundays through Thursdays from 530pm to 830pm, and Fridays & Saturdays 530pm to 10pm. Here’s a link to the daily schedule.
Except for when it rains. “Electricity and water just don’t mix,” David said. “So on days where it rains a considerable amount earlier in the day, we won’t turn the lights on that night.”
Thank you, David and Amanda. We appreciate your love of Christmas, your Christmas light display, and your desire to share it with all of Beaufort.
See some photos of the display below, and find more Christmas fun in Beaufort SC here.
Have a Merry Christmas!
