Monroe light display brightens spirits, aids nonprofits – Times News Online
The Belvin family in Monroe County celebrates Christmas in a big way, with a present for the community that definitely won’t fit under a tree.
Instead, this sparkling gift adorns trees — and fences, windows, the rooftop and about two acres of their yard in Pocono Township.
Besides lots of kaleidoscopic lights everywhere, snowmen and Santas keeping watch, snowflakes and wreaths twinkle, and reindeers prance near a pond.
This is the 13th year for the Belvin Family Christmas, an extremely festive display of more than 100,000 lights choreographed to 40 different songs, broadcast on radio frequency 89.9 FM. The tunes range from “Candy Cane Lane” and “Heat Miser/Snow Miser” to classics from “The Nutcracker” or favorites sung by Burl Ives.
People can stay in the warmth of their car, listening and looking, or they can stroll along the brightly-lit fence, so they don’t miss a single detail or bulb. A donation box for a local nonprofit is another feature.
“Growing up, I was mesmerized by Christmas lights,” said Jerrod Belvin, the local Clark Griswold behind the seasonal wonderland. “My fascination grew year after year, and I kept dreaming of ways to make displays bigger and brighter.”
Linda Bruno of Saylorsburg visited the attraction for the first time this December, having found out about it online. She was joined by her daughter and grandchildren, who were visiting from Florida.
“It’s real nice. It takes me back to when my kids were little,” Bruno commented.
Visiting the Belvin home has become an 8-year tradition for her family, said Aja Miller of Jackson Township. They stopped by after getting their Christmas tree and some baked goods at a farmstand just down the road in Tannersville.
“It puts me in the Christmas spirit,” said her son, 10-year-old Brayden. “Every year is a little different,” added her husband, Matt Allgauer.
Belvin said the “talking faces are a fan favorite” because it looks like they are singing to everyone who stops by. The smiling, cheery characters include Rudolph, Santa and Mrs. Claus, a Tannenbaum, Frosty and two comical Christmas light bulbs.
Both young and old enjoy his family’s glittering display. And it doesn’t just bring joy to passersby; it also helps area nonprofits.
“We have raised over $26,000 throughout the years for local charities,” Belvin said. “Giving back to the community is so important to me.”
And he is grateful for the support of those who leave a donation.
The organizations have included United Way, the ALS Foundation, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bridge and Pocono Township Fire Station 34, which is the recipient for the second year in a row.
Belvin hopes to raise at least a grand for the volunteer fire company, having collected about $1,000 in 2023. The metal donation box is near the area where cars can park at the top of his lawn at 464 Cherry Lane Road.
“It’s a great thing,” said Fire Company President Chris Kinsley Sr. He noted that the light show “takes a lot of time and effort, and electricity.” Kinsley added that Belvin “is a very community-minded person.”
Belvin serves as Pocono Township manager and was a township commissioner for eight years, including four years as vice chair. His family includes his fiancé, Vanessa, and his teenage sons, Christian and Nico.
“I like to joke that my sons are ‘Voluntold’ to help out,” Belvin exclaimed. “It’s definitely a family affair, but I’m often the one out there late at night with a headlamp, hoisted up in the bucket truck.”
Belvin shared the story that when a friend was moving and selling his bucket truck, he just had to buy it because it “let us take our display to new heights – literally and creatively.”
New this year is an upgrade of more than 600 optic-core bulbs for the house outline, “giving it a warm, elegant glow,” Belvin noted. “The multicolored lights we replaced are now part of a dazzling grid in the yard that spans thousands of lights. Next year, we’re planning to add RGB trim lights and custom-designed sharp-angle floodlights to elevate the display even further,” he added.
“It looks amazing and is eye-catching,” said Assistant Fire Chief Corey Sayre. He planned to bring his 6-year-old son to the display one night during the holiday season.
“We rely on donations. Every bit counts and is very much appreciated,” Sayre said. “It is awesome,” Sayre added about the fire company being the designated nonprofit this holiday season.
Funds raised will go toward training, gear, tools and vehicle maintenance. Kinsley said proceeds from the summer carnival were down somewhat, so this extra money will help with expenses.
A busy road
Thousands of cars stop by every season on the busy road. Before the COVID pandemic, people stopping by could get cookies, cocoa and a candy cane. During peak times, the traffic even created a line stretching all the way down to Laurel Lake Road, according to Belvin.
Seeing the “pure joy” on children’s faces has always been Belvin’s favorite part of doing the display.
“There’s something magical about how their eyes light up.”
Work on setting up the lights begins in mid-September and about 70% of them will come down in early January.
“That is definitely the less glamorous part of the process,” Belvin said. “LED lights are more finicky than the old-school incandescents, so taking them down helps preserve their life span.”
As for the music, he uses a program called Light-O-Rama for the synchronization.
“It’s a labor of love — one song takes about eight hours to choreograph,” he said.
Setting up the radio frequency just involved some cable configuration and a low-wattage FM transmitter.
“I think my dad secretly loved lights too,” Belvin reminisced. “One Christmas, I told him I entered us into a local light competition — I hadn’t, but it was enough to get him excited to buy more lights. I suspect he knew I was fibbing but went along to justify it to my Mom! Now, I cherish creating these magical moments for kids, just like the ones I had. Back in the day, family nights meant piling into the car to admire neighborhood lights. That’s the kind of memory I want to create — simple, unplugged joy,” he said.
The Viera family of East Stroudsburg piled their boys into their vehicle and visited this month for the fifth year. The boys enjoyed watching through the car windows.
The Roman family from Bronx, New York, took photos as they looked at the display on a not-so-cold night. They were searching online for places to see Christmas lights and were not disappointed.
“It’s absolutely amazing,” David Roman said as lights blinked and flashed. “I love it.”
Info can be found at facebook.com/belvinchristmas. The lights are on through New Year’s Day, from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursday and until 10:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Some people tell us it’s the highlight of their holiday season,” Belvin said.
“It’s heartwarming to see grandparents and grandkids bonding over something as simple as lights and music,” he added.
The official address for the display is 464 Cherry Lane Road, East Stroudsburg, although it’s only a short drive from Route 611 in Tannersville.
Jerrod Belvin starts decorating in fall for his annual light display in Pocono Township, Monroe County.
Deer prancing through Belvin’s light display in Pocono Township.
Deer are set up by a pond on Jerrod Belvin’s property in Pocono Township.
More than 10,000 lights are choreographed to Christmas music at Belvin’s display.
The Belvin Family Christmas display includes glowing presents for people to see.
Christmas lights are everywhere on the Belvin property in Pocono Township.
Jerrod Belvin puts on a lights display that draws visitors from many areas and helps raise money for nonprofits. CHRIS GRAPE-GARVEY/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS
This is the 13th year for the Belvin Family Christmas display.
There is something for everyone to see at Belvin’s property in Pocono Township.
