What began as a family tradition has turned into a Christmas display that the St. Joseph community cherishes every year.
Mark Shadden and his wife, Penny, began an annual light display almost 25 years ago when their children were little and they lived in Heather Hills.
“There was a man out there named Ray McCormick,” Mark remembers. “Ray had an amazing light display.
“We had four kids at the time, and they were all younger; they just loved his lights. They were always asking me to put up lights.”
The Shaddens began by decorating a couple bushes and a few other things in the yard. But when they moved to 402 N. Cedar Street, their display began to take a form that drew attention.
Today, visitors can see exactly how many days are left until it’s time to open presents (currently 17); can enjoy a light show set to music; can think about the birth of Jesus as they pass the nativity scene and can even hop out of the car to take a photo in the Santa and Elf face cutouts.
The scene takes about four days for Mark to put up. He uses cable reels to store the lights, making them easier to access each fall.
The Shaddens’ grandchildren, who live nearby in Royal, Danville, Villa Grove and Philo, all enjoy seeing their grandparent’s house decorated just as much as their parents did when they were young.
Penny often tries to come up with different ideas for the upcoming year as Mark makes sure all of the lights are in working order. Last his the Shadden’s daughter found a sleigh at a rummage sale that was cleaned up and repainted in 2020 as an addition to the lights.
The family has set up a Facebook page for visitors to share their holiday photos with the community.
“It’s just so nice to see people stop,” he said. “Their kids will walk by and you just see that joy. Especially the year we’ve had, I think it’s important for people to experience the love of Christ and everything that Christmas is: that happiness and joy. You can hear that from people, just their expression is priceless and that’s what it’s about for us.”
The Cedar Street display will be up through Christmas from 5-9 p.m. on weeknights and 5 to 10 p.m. on weekends.
