This turned into an extra benefit this year when everyone in our area was urged to shelter-in-place due to COVID-19. The cords alone are stored in the beds of two Chevy pickup trucks.īecause it is such a large undertaking, they leave some of the lights up year-round as well. Decorations are stored in three 40-foot Conex shipping containers, a garage and Santa’s House.
The producers from LA somehow heard about us and called us for two to three years asking us to participate before we finally agreed to do it.”Īlthough decorating begins in earnest the end of August (while being mindful of hurricane season and the possibility of damaging winds), it takes all year to fully prepare for the display that encompasses almost 9 acres of the family’s property. Tonia agrees, stating, “We never applied to be on The Great Christmas Light Fight show. “It’s never been about us it’s always been to promote the true meaning of Christmas and encourage others,” he says. Mike is quick to clarify that they’ve never done the annual light display in an effort to make a name for themselves. “But everyone on the film crew from LA, including Carter Oosterhouse (the judge), and the Wilmington film studio were so nice and respectful.” “Filming the episode was lots of fun, but also stressful,” Tonia says, referring to getting everything set up earlier than usual and having to acquire their own reveal crowd (comprised of people who could keep mum about the filming for several months). This year, the number of visitors is expected to jump much higher following the airing of ABC’s season eight premiere episode of The Great Christmas Light Fight, which will feature the Lake Linda’s Christmas Lights as one of the judged displays. In 2019, that number almost doubled to 16,000 vehicles (these statistics are thanks to the official road vehicle counter that the Registers’ now-grown children gifted to them). We never intended it to get this large, but when we saw how much joy and hope it offers to people, we just kept going.”įast forward to 2018, when they welcomed 9,000 vehicles onto their property for the six-week season. “There really wasn’t anywhere locally that offered a drive-through light display back then,” Mike says, “so we kept adding a little bit more every year.
What began as a few homemade metal shapes outlined with lights to enhance the spirit of Christmas for their three children when they were young eventually caught the attention of neighbors and friends.
In fact, according to Mike and Tonia Register, creators of the display, “Many people tell us that they didn’t know about us until they pulled into Bojangles’ to get something to eat and noticed the lights.” This prompted them to jokingly refer to their labor of love as “Hampstead’s Best-Kept Secret.” Nestled behind a small tree line across the highway from Surf City’s Lowe’s Home Improvement store and next to Bojangles’ restaurant is the half-hidden entrance to a Christmas wonderland. Highway 17 unknowingly driving past one of southeastern North Carolina’s best musical Christmas light shows. Lake Linda’s Christmas Lights might be hidden away in Hampstead, but word about the annual show is getting out, especially now that they’re being featured on ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight.īetween Thanksgiving and New Year’s many travelers on U.S.
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