Christmas Park - Land of Lights, 2011

Cinderella arrives at a palace in her pumpkin coach. Reindeer engage in a snowball fight. Pigs, dogs and cats sing. Snoopy flies an airplane.

The Eiffel Tower shines. Christmas trees twinkle. Santa plays a piano, rides a motorcycle and kneels in prayer on church steps. The Three Wise Men approach a manger, and a light focuses on a listing of the beatitudes.

All of those scenes and many more are depicted in Christmas lights.

Christmas Park Land of Lights, family owned and operated, stretches over a mile through a wooded area on Northwest Loop 7 around Athens, transformed by the glow of millions of lights, tunnels and arches and a surprising array of Christmas scenes.

Many scenes illustrate themes from storybooks, movies and religion or feature well-known icons, such as Elvis Presley and Humpty Dumpty.

By some estimates, about 100,000 visitors from many states and countries take a spectacular Christmas season outing through this enchanting park every year. Some from as far away as Australia, England, Germany, Japan and Africa have stopped in.

Feature stories on the park have run in Southern Living and Texas Highways magazines and in Texas newspapers.

More than 3 million lights illuminate the jam-packed park. Scattered throughout the park are about 1,500 wooden Christmas cut-out characters. Christmas music appropriate to various holiday scenes plays on about 50 stereos as motorists pass. More than 50 objects are equipped with motion-controlled lights that make them appear to be moving.

Each year, the park adds new scenes, new art and new music. Other exhibits are repainted. Lights are checked and replaced. Some lights came from Mexico, Belgium, Nebraska, Oklahoma and a local discount store.

Visitors drive under numerous arches and through at least five tunnels formed by Christmas lights. The longest tunnel, made of blue lights, extends 120 feet. The first tunnel traces a slope for 90 feet. There's also a 65-foot green tunnel and a 75-foot red tunnel.

Buses are welcomed, but the park requests prior notification in advance of arrival. It is recommended that buses visit during the week if possible. Weekends are very busy and usually bumper to bumper traffic.

This description is only part of a story that appeared in the December 6, 2010 edition of the Tyler Morning Telegraph.  To view the complete story by Staff Writer Betty Waters, please click here.