When it comes to decorating the house in Christmas lights for the holidays, two Arizona families are about to put on their displays for the entire nation to see!
That's because the Preston family in Kingman, and The Taylor family in Ahwatukee are competing in ABC's The Great Christmas Light Fight, which looks to find the best light displays around the country.
Kim Taylor, who has decorated his house in Ahwatukee for more than 16 years, hand-cuts each of the more than 300 Disney-themed wooden displays. You can't miss the thousands of lights that illuminate his neighborhood.
For him, it's all about community.
"It's all about family, friends and community," he told ABC15 on Sunday. "It's really brought our family together. We know everyone in the neighborhood. They know us. It's kind of nice, we walk outside and everyone says, 'Hey Kim!' So, it's kind of cool."
Three hours northwest in Kingman, David Preston and his wife have decorated their home with more than 277,000 lights that are synchronized to various holiday songs. It takes him 30 days, with help, to put up all those lights.
Due to the Arizona heat, he cannot leave the lights up year-round.
Preston, who is retired, has applied to be on the show twice before, but "third time's a charm," he said in a phone interview with ABC15 on Monday.
Where did the inspiration come from? In Preston's words, his wife.
They lived in Ohio before moving to Arizona and did not put up any lights. But when they moved to Kingman, his wife noticed hooks on the roof of their home and insisted they string some lights.
"She turned me into a monster," he said, jokingly.
While his current display is drawing eyeballs, he's already planning for next year, telling us he wants to put up more than $300,000 lights!
TO CHECK THEM OUT:
The Taylors: 3611 E. Kachina Drive, Phoenix AZ 85044
The Prestons: 661 Shadow Mountain Drive, Kingman 86409
