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Christmas holiday light displays eye-catching
Each year, some of our neighbors in Long Branch, West Long Branch, Eatontown, Monmouth Beach and Oceanport create displays that makes us slow down and double back to admire their handiwork. There are, to be sure, more of these homes than we could ever tell you about in a single issue, but the following are some that are sure to catch your eye as you pass them this holiday season. The Rodrigues family on Indiana Avenue in Long Branch lit up their home in the spirit of Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. From a distance the display’s most notable feature is the Santa Claus projected onto the front of the home at the second story. As you get closer the large snowman, guarding the front of the home at the insistence of 4-year-old Christopher, acts as a sentinel, but a friendly one, next to the lights leading up to the porch. Christopher’s mother, Annabelle Rodriques, said the important thing about the decoration, "is that the family is gathered together." Next year, Rodriques said that she and her husband plan to add a nativity scene, more lights to the second floor and a blowup Santa.
Some may remember the elaborate holiday display created every year at Due Process Stables in Colts Neck, then the home of Edward Brennan. Traffic on Route 537 in mid December would be snarled for hours as people came to see the extensive lights and displays. If you have ever wondered what happened to Mr. and Mrs. Claus, their eight mechanical reindeer, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer and any of the snowmen from that spectacular Christmas display, look no farther than a home on Port-Au-Peck Drive off Monmouth Boulevard. Homeowner, Capt. Joseph Johnson of the city’s Fire Department and his neighbors have lit up the cul-de-sac in a way that cannot be missed as you drive over the nearby Pleasure Bay Bridge. When pulling up to Johnson’s home an elf, Johnson’s 6-year old niece Lauren, will greet you with a treat, candy canes. Those mechanical reindeer, and Rudolph, with his bright red nose, are ready to guide Santa in his jet ski Christmas Eve. Johnson’s display has its roots in a friendly competition with the city’s public safety director, Lou Napoletano. He said the competition began in 1997 when Napoletano challenged him on who would display the most lights. "So far I have beat him every year," the captain noted.
Johnson said he stopped counting the number of lights when he hit 5,000, all of which now adorn a tall pine tree being admired by Mr. and Mrs. Claus who stand nearby. On the other side of the property sits a beautiful star which shines above the nativity scene. And there is still more. As you ride over Pleasure Bay Bridge and take a peek at the back of Johnson’s home, note the reindeer coming up the boat ramp, and maybe catch a glimpse of the glowing tree inside his home decorated with shamrocks. The near tripling of his electric bill hasn’t stopped Johnson from planning for next year which will be more of the same plus music, and, he hopes, a petting zoo. The Cotton family on Branch Avenue in Oceanport decorated with a reindeer theme. Joe Cotton, an electrician, has outlined the two-story family home with more than 450 lights. The porch is tastefully decorated with green garland and trimmed with red bulbs. Natalie Cotton, raised in Oceanport, said that she and her husband, along with their two children, Briana and Brandon are carrying on a family tradition by following in "my mother’s footsteps in decorating with lots of lights."
The Ferrins also in Oceanport on Comanche Drive on the corner of Wyabdotte Avenue have decorated, too, but are portraying a totally different theme. John Ferrin, now retired, has been working for the past 35 years to create a display that becomes grander with each year. His wife filled us in saying her husband has handmade all the characters – Disney’s and other children’s favorites – out of wood. John Ferrin said he originally began making the characters for several of the performances produced by the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Inc. Ocean Township. In a show of patriotism, Ferrin added a statue of liberty with a backdrop of the American flag this year. There are too many characters to mention; they must be seen to be appreciated. Drive by and see Peter Pan, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, the Wizard of Oz, Cinderella and, of course, Santa’s reindeer. Al and Alice Starzinski of Monmouth Beach on Monmouth Parkway, have fashioned an American flag out of red, white and blue lights that hang vertically from the roof at the top of the second floor to the ground. Lighted candy canes line the driveway and a nativity scene sits in the yard.
Alice Starzinski said her husband likes to do "bigger and better" every year, but they had so many lights out last year they had decided to pare down their display a bit this year. Before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 they had planned a waterfall coming off the roof. After the events at the World Trade Center, he converted the waterfall plan to a flag with the addition of a star and stripes. "So it turned out to be an easy decorating job and one more appropriate for the season," she said. "It really worked out well." She said with the flag representing patriotism, and the Nativity scene reflecting the true spirit of Christmas and the candy canes just for fun, "We tried to capture all the elements." No one driving down Broadway in West Long Branch can miss the home of Kay and Roger Linger at the corner of North Locust Avenue. For seven years, they have built onto their display, adding something new each year, until it fills their front, side and back yards.
There is a religious theme in front, the Smurfs in back, and Santa and reindeer in between. Kay Linger said they enjoy doing the elaborate display for the neighborhood. "The adults love it more than the children," she said. "When you stop and see the people looking at it — we love the enjoyment it gives people. When you see the kids stop by, it’s so exciting. When you make somebody happy, it makes you happy." One of the brightest symbols of the Christmas season is the large manger scene in front of St. Dorthea’s Roman Catholic Church on Broad Street in Eatontown erected by the Knights of Columbus Council No. 12620. The Knights also erected the large billboard sign next to it urging passers-by to "Keep Christ in Christmas."
The Rev. G. William Evans, pastor of St. Dorthea’s, said the manger scene and sign serve as a reminder to not let Christmas get too commercialized. "It’s so we don’t lose the true meaning of what Christmas is all about — the basis of our Christian religion," he said.
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