CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – At Christmastime, the home of Kim and Steve Bauer needs to be seen to be believed.
At their home at the corner of First and Hoover streets in Clearlake Oaks, the couple have set up an annual Christmas display that draws visitors from around the county.
Some people, just driving by, had to pull over on a recent night to wonder at it.
“You just brought some joy to my life tonight,” said a woman who stopped to take pictures of the display.
“Oh, this is beautiful,” a man driving by in a minivan said through the window to the Bauers.
The Live Oak Senior Center bus also recently made a pass so its riders could enjoy the display, Kim Bauer said.
The Bauers have been doing the display for about five years, taking a break last year due to the illness of Steve's father.
This year, they were back at it, wanting to make it bigger and better than ever, both as a tribute to their family member and a celebration of the season.
Kim Bauer said it takes about a month and a half to cover nearly every inch of their home and yard with lights and decorations of every kind.
On the roof is “Rex,” the dinosaur from Toy Story, wearing a Santa hat and holding a present in his mouth, while he moves his head side to side. A sock monkey sits on the chimney, while nearby the Grinch and Santa Claus are perched on the roof.
In the yard there's a nativity scene, along with Scooby Doo, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Mickey Mouse, Tigger and other lighted characters, some of them moving.
Steve Bauer is a roofer, so he does the rooftop decorations. His wife said he also painstakingly works to create the lighted outline of a Christmas tree on one very sloped part of the roof.
Their energy bill runs about $1,200 a month during the holiday months. Kim Bauer credited her boss, Dean Pick of First Pick Builders, for helping them out this year with a generator that is helping cut the cost a bit.
However, the expense, for the Bauers, is worth it.
“People really like it,” Kim Bauer said of the display.
The display generally is on through the evening, until about 9:30 or 10 p.m., Kim Bauer said.
One night, an elderly man drove all the way from Kelseyville to see the Bauers' light extravaganza. But by the time he arrived, it was after 10 p.m. and the lights had been turned off.
He knocked on the door, explained how far he had come, and offered to pay them $5 to turn the lights back on. Kim Bauer said she was happy to oblige for free so he and his wife could enjoy them.
For the Bauers, they hope their seasonal effort brings some enjoyment to peoples' lives.
They invite people to come by and see it while it's still up. Kim Bauer said the display will be in place through Jan. 4.
Not ones to be satisfied with their light spectacular, they're already planning for next year, and how much more they can add to their display.
If Kim Bauer could build up, she would, and she's been trying to figure out how to extend the display. She mused about putting a Santa Claus in a tree at the corner of her property.
“Next year,” Steve Bauer said in a soft but determined voice, “it will be bigger.”
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Couple lights up neighborhood with annual Christmas light display
- Elizabeth Larson
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