Original subtitles

All: Three, two, one!

Narrator: The holidays have never been sweeter...

Whoa! This is why we call it the Candy Cane House!

...as four families drive...

Robert: Can we take you to our drive-in?

...to outwork the Christmas competition.

This is an amazing workshop you have!

And Judge Taniya Nayak...

Ho, ho, ho! Welcome, Taniya. Ohh!

...awards another $50,000 prize!

That's clever!

So climb aboard...

Choo-choo!

...because "The Great Christmas Light Fight"...

I love, love, love it!

...is on!

Taniya: Whoa! Oh-ho-ho!

Yeah! Whoa!

♪♪

♪♪

Welcome to the Blasko Christmas display.

Where the kids are in charge!

Parents: And we're just here for support.

Yeah! [ Laughter ]

I think we put DJ Jolly here and then the Elfie right here.

We've been doing this display since I was 2 years old.

One more piece.

Phil: And then what? We're good? Yeah.

I watched an episode of "The Great Christmas Light Fight,"

and I asked my mom and dad

if we could be like the houses on the show.

She came up with the original blueprints,

and she stood up and she said...

"If you don't listen..."

Both: "We're gonna take them down."

[ Laughter ]

Let's see if it works.

Adeline: Nine years later,

me and my brother are still running the display.

-Yes! -It's al-i-i-ive!

Lauren: Watching our kids

come up with these super-interesting ideas

is a really, really cool thing to see as a parent.

Baby dinosaurs eat gingerbread.

Phil: [ Chuckles ]

We brought our blueprint to life.

I think we're ready for Taniya.

Elliott: Let's go!

♪♪

[ All cheer ]

♪♪

[ All cheering ]

Hi!

[ All cheering ]

Hi! Look at these smiles all over the place!

We're the Blasko family, and I'm Adeline.

-I'm Elliott. -I'm Lauren.

-And I'm Phil. -I'm Lydia.

Okay. Who's in charge over here?

I'm in charge.

Yes! I like it!

How old are you, Adeline?

I'm 11. 11?!

We started putting up lights when I was 2.

So you started when you were 2.

Now it's nine years later, and now you're the boss.

I've always been the boss. Okay. Yes. Exactly.

Alright. So how do we get it started?

We have a Rube Goldberg machine.

It's a chain reaction.

One thing starts that will make something else happen...

that will make something else happen. Yes!

And then at the end, something really big will happen.

Alright! Let's do it! Yes.

Alright. Let's go.

This is pretty cool right here.

So, what you do is you pull that string there.

Okay. Should we say something to kick it off?

What should we say?

"Three, two, one.

Light. It. Up."

I love it. You guys ready?

[ All cheer ] Let's do it!

All: Three, two, one!

Light! It! Up!

[Chuckles] Ohh! There it goes!

All: Ohh...

[ All cheering ]

♪♪

Whoa!

Whoa!

Ah! Look at this!

Dancing Santas!

Phil: Dancing Santa! Yes!

Taniya: You guys!

You covered everything!

Look at this! So cool!

Is that an elf over there with the cutout?

Phil: Oh, that's the Elfie Station.

Yes. An Elfie Station!

Teddy bears. Oh, you guys. I love it.

I want to get in there. Can we go in?

Let's do it. Yeah? Alright.

Come on, y'all! Let's go! Let's go!

-Whoo-hoo-hoo! -Is that a dance floor?!

-Yeah, let's go! -I need to get on it!

Phil: Whoo! Yeah!

Taniya: Yeah! DJ Jolly in the house!

[ All cheering ]

[ Dance music thumping ]

♪♪

[ Chanting ]

♪♪

♪♪

Taniya: Whew. I needed that to warm up.

Adeline: Yes.

This was the original manger that me and my dad built.

Also, every year, we draw blueprints,

so this is this year's blueprint.

What? You even label it!

Well, if I don't label it, then he'll mess it up!

[ Laughter ]

She's gotta spell it out for you.

Yeah. You got -- You gotta keep it simple for me.

[ Laughter ]

♪♪

Elliott: Taniya, I want to show you my Santa's

bear-building workshop.

Taniya: Wow! Look at the teddy bears move.

So, we took apart a treadmill,

and then we took the belt from the treadmill.

Yeah. And then we bought our own motor.

And this was your idea? All the way through?

Me and Dad made it.

Yeah. But whose idea was it?

Oh, mine. Yeah. Okay.

And I could also show you, like, the inside.

Yeah. Let's go take a look.

And, by the way, cool Ferris wheel.

[ Laughter ] Thanks!

♪♪

So, you can see the motor back there. Yeah.

And we took some of the stuff that goes in pillows.

Yeah, yeah. The batting.

Yeah, the batting! Yeah, yeah, I love it.

It's got a nice billowy effect.

Nice job. Thanks.

♪♪

This is one of our trails.

Whoa!

Out on the street, you can't even see all the layers.

Adeline: Yeah. Over here, we have one of our houses

made out of insulation boards. Oh, yeah.

-It's like a -- -So it's super lightweight.

-Yes. -Very smart!

You have all these cool houses,

and I love that you have animatronics.

Everyone's moving. The reindeer.

Yeah. And then we've got our Tree-Rex!

Ohh! [ Laughs ]

[ Roaring ] What?!

And he's hungry! Adeline: Yes.

He ate a Christmas tree.

Elliott: And he just got a little baby.

Oh, that's so cute! I hope you ate enough.

You're not looking -- 'Cause he's looking right at me.

I'm just nervous I'm gonna get eaten,

so let's slowly walk...away.

[ Laughs ]

Taniya: This aquarium is so cool,

and I've never, ever seen an aquarium

in a Christmas display before.

Do they have, like, Santa hats on?

Yeah, they're actually small stockings that we cut up

and glued to look like Santa hats.

Oh, no way! Yes.

And then this is, again, Styrofoam and plexiglass.

Uh-huh. I love the little peekaboo windows.

And the blue lights, also... Yes.

...really give that aquarium feel.

Really, really cool.

♪♪

Your entire house is covered.

Your roof. The walls of the house. Everything.

Adeline: Yes.

I see a big gingerbread family over here.

This is the Blasko family.

Ohh! It's the gingerbread Blaskos!

Adeline: Yes, we kind of started making these

when we first used insulation board.

And then you've built it all around this.

And there, uh, Santa is writing his list

for who he's going to hand out presents

and who might be getting coal.

You would be on the coal one

if you don't give us that trophy.

[ Laughter ]

Elliott: Santa would be mad. Noted!

You don't want to upset Santa.

No, no. You definitely don't.

I've got something else to show you.

Ooh!

A walk-through gingerbread house.

Taniya: Y-u-u-um!

Elliott: This is my favorite part of the display.

It is my dream come true.

I really, really, really wanted

to walk through a gingerbread house.

And me and Dad made one. This is awesome.

But you promised me that this is a walk-through.

But I feel like we're at a walk-stop.

[ Laughs ] What's going on?

I'll show you.

Whoa, ho, ho, ho!

Whoa!

Wow!

You guys did the entire front yard

and the entire back yard!

Adeline: Yes.

Whoa! This is awesome!

Oh. That's clever!

Phil: Yeah, that's made out of wreaths.

-I love that! -That's our wreath tree.

These kids, they're not just dreamers. They're doers.

That is the base of the trampoline to make the circle.

Taniya: They're making blueprints.

Phil: It's a one-of-a-kind piece.

We think it's probably about 100 years old.

Taniya: I love, love, love it.

It's ran by seven transformers. Whoa!

And they're helping to execute the blueprints

to come to life.

That was quite the tour.

I can't even believe how many things I saw.

But more than anything else,

I love the fact that the two of you --

you're the brains behind all of it.

Adeline: Just to be finally on this show,

it's a dream come true because I've wanted this

since I was 2 years old.

Phil: Yes, they've been working really hard at this.

And what's really cool about it is we get to do it as a family.

These are memories that we get to have for forever.

Yeah. Listen. I'm a hugger. You guys down?

I want a big family group hug. Let's hug. Let's hug.

Yes. Thank you. Thank you so much for coming.

-Thank you. -Thank you.

-Merry Christmas! -Thank you.

-Bye! -Bye!

Phil: High five. I think she liked it, guys.

Yes! Whoo!

♪♪

All: We're the Slankard family!

Travel back in time to see...

[ Rockabilly music plays ]

...our favorite memories!

Hey, Dad, how does this look for the garland for the greenery?

It looks great. She was wanting to put multicolored lights on there.

Would that be okay? I think it'd look great.

[ Inhales sharply ] Ugh!

Be honest, now. Don't hold out on me, of course.

My dad is definitely crazy for Christmas.

Robert: I'm seeing three cords are coming down.

Where does she plug in?

He is up and down, all over the place.

[Laughing] I'm losing my mind!

We intentionally bought

this spot 25 years ago

because I liked the location for my Christmas lights.

And we went crazy.

We have to take this sorry tree down. It doesn't work.

Trees that I planted have been because

I know they'll look great with lights.

-Got one for me? -There you go.

Lori: When we go to the nursery, he asks the guys,

"Is that a good tree for Christmas lights?"

And it's in the summer.

And they look at us like we're crazy.

[ Laughs ]

We need to figure out where the plugs for this tree are.

A lot of our yard is a tribute to Broken Arrow

because it was an amazing place to grow up

in this little town in the 1960s.

Just a lot of wonderful memories,

and I just want to share that with other people.

Hyah-ah-ah! Hyah, hyah!

♪♪

[ All cheering ]

♪♪

Taniya: Merry Christmas!

Oh! Look at you guys!

I feel like we're ready to jive or something!

You look great!

Thank you. [ Laughs ]

What? Do you got the giggles?

Yes! I'm in shock.

What are you in shock about?

Meeting you.

Oh. Well, it's so nice to meet you.

I am Robert.

This is my wife, Lori, and my son, Nick.

Hi, guys. And this is our family and friends.

-Friends. -Oh. Hello, everybody.

[ All cheer ]

You are the giggliest man I have ever met, and I love it!

This is just really surreal.

32 years, we've been doing this.

I started when I was a teenager.

I kind of got the bug, and -- I don't know --

it just grew to this monster.

A monster.

Yes. Well, let's get this started. Absolutely.

If you would walk over here with me. I have a time machine.

Whoa!

It's not the most accurate time machine.

Looks pretty legit to me.

It can get you within 20 years.

Well, that's a big gap.

Well, I know, but I was an old literature teacher,

not a machinist.

So I'm going to set it...

Doesn't make me feel very good.

...to "1950 to 1969." Okay.

Growing up in Broken Arrow as a kid in the '60s

was the greatest childhood on Earth.

So you're gonna bring me back to that.

So I'm gonna bring you back to that.

Now, you're gonna step through that door.

There's gonna be a white button. You're gonna push it.

And wondrous things are gonna happen.

Okay.

[ All cheer ]

I hope I make it! [ Laughs ]

I'm not sure what I'm getting myself into here.

Okay. Are we ready?!

[ All cheer ]

All: Three, two, one!

[ Electricity zapping ]

[ All cheer ]

Aah!

Look at this! Yes!

Wow!

[ All cheer ]

Oh, my goodness! Wow! Beautiful!

This is a massive, massive amount of lights!

And blow molds. And candy canes.

And beautiful Christmas trees. And gorgeous colors.

Robert: Yes, it is. [ Laughs ]

This is incredible!

Is that a sleigh ride over there?

Yes. Nice!

Ah! I see a drive-in!

Yes!

I love it. You guys, this is amazing!

[ All cheer ] Whoo!

I would like to really immerse myself into the era.

Well, can I take you on a stroll through the path?

I'd love it. Merry Christmas, guys!

[ All cheer ]

Whoo! Yes!

♪♪

This is absolutely gorgeous. And it looks very large.

Robert: Acre and a quarter. Wow.

And I am getting nice retro vibes.

I love that you brought the '60s to life.

Can we take you to our 51 Drive-In?

I love this!

Lots of wonderful, wonderful memories.

Look at that!

[ Laughs ] Those are home movies.

That's my dad right there with the snowball.

Oh, wow!

And I am the short, pudgy, little baby somewhere...

These are your memories,

and you brought it right into the display.

And it was so clever to do it as a drive-in movie.

Is that an actual?

Those are original drive-in speakers.

Lori: Yeah. Yeah. No way.

We had many dates at the 51 Drive-In.

This is the 51 Drive-In in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

And it closed.

Oh, no. So it's not open.

My best memories -- when I was young,

uh, 5, 6, my family went to the drive-in movie.

Oh, that's so nice.

Well, can we continue this stroll down memory lane?

Yeah!

♪♪

Taniya: That's cute!

This was the first thing I ever built 30 years ago.

31 years ago, in fact.

I saw a couple of these mechanical dolls

in a store after Christmas.

I probably have 70 or 80 of these different things.

You do? So cute. Look at this.

All the little workshops. And the Mickey and Minnie.

The best part of doing this is the collecting.

That's what makes it fun.

Are these old toys that you had from when you were a kid?

They are all old. All the army men were mine.

The dolls, Lori collects them.

But they're all from the '60s.

Aww. This is like a museum.

Lori: Yeah. Well, we have more.

Alright.

♪♪

Look at this train!

Robert: We have the beginning of the train right there.

Ohh! And all the candy canes.

Candy cane. They pop up like weeds.

We mow them down, and they come back up.

The train engine's way up there.

That was the second thing I built.

Oh, I love that. To go along with the car.

Lori: Neighborhood kids helped us paint it,

and now they have children of their own,

and they come to the display, and it's really cool.

And speaking of trains...

Speaking of trains. Choo-choo!

And along with that is the old Broken Arrow Train Depot.

And that is my mother's old ceramic Christmas tree

that I remember as a kid.

I love how everything ties back to a story.

Very special.

This is one of the ice ponds that I've made.

Aww. I love the retro blow molds.

How many do you think you have?

Robert: Uh-oh. I have about 400.

Wow. There are so many Christmas trees.

But they are the old-school Christmas trees,

those white flocked ones.

And all of these wire figures, too.

It is very playful, but it's also very beautiful.

Robert: We've got something special down here at the end.

If you would do the honors.

Taniya: [ Gasps ] Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!

Robert: We've got something special.

Taniya: [ Gasps ]

-Ho, ho, ho! Welcome, Taniya! -Aah!

Merry Christmas!

Nice! [ Gasps ]

Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.

This is an amazing workshop you have in here.

Thank you very much. I had some help.

Yeah. [ Laughter ]

The first year, we had, what, about 500 kids?

500. I think we did five nights, 100 kids a night.

Mrs. Claus is here, and the elves are here,

so it's a lot of fun.

Taniya: What a really cool way to engage

all the people in your community to come through, meet Santa.

It's a lot of fun. I love this place.

And it's full of just some wonderful vintage things.

'60s stuff from the Christmas --

I just -- It's magical.

I haven't forgotten that you have transported me.

The Slankard family -- they are so sweet.

Bye, Santa!

Ho, ho, ho!

I love that I got to take a walk down memory lane.

Everything is a nod or a throwback

to some part of their life.

It is truly an experience that makes me feel like

I'm part of their family.

What a display and what a throwback.

Vintage vibe. Playful. Happy.

All the good feels that you would get from the '60s.

I'm excited for Robert because he works so hard,

and it makes me excited for him

to be able to share this with the community.

[Voice breaking] And he's brought so much,

um, just memories for our family,

and I'm just very proud of him. Aww.

The best part about Christmas,

it does not have to end in the '60s or '70s.

It's continuing, and we're making memories right now.

That's right.

Well, I do have more displays to see,

and I need to get myself back into the 21st century!

So -- [ Laughs ] Thank you so much.

Merry Christmas!

-Same to you. -Merry Christmas.

-Bye! -Merry Christmas!

-Bye! -Bye!

Okay. We did it. You made "The Great Christmas Light Fight."

Lori: You made "The Great Christmas Light Fight."

Robert: We already won because we were on

"The Great Christmas Light Fight."

Guys, that's a win. That's a win.

♪♪

Both: We're the Buchanan family.

Merry Christmas from the Candy Cane House!

Brant: Gotta have candy canes. We're the Candy Cane House.

Yep, I like it.

Brant: We've been known as the Candy Cane House

due to the 35-foot candy cane on the roof,

but we also have candy-cane blow molds throughout the yard,

wire-frame candy canes wrapped in lights --

every accent we can get to have candy canes in our yard.

This was 1991. You weren't even around yet.

I have been decorating at this location

since I bought the house,

but it's nothing compared to what it is now.

Did I mention I'm scared of heights?

[ Laughs ] No, you're not.

When Brant got old enough to take an interest,

things just started escalating from there.

♪♪

I'm very particular when it comes to putting

blow molds in the yard.

Every blow mold on the lawn, over 80 of them,

have their own base

labeled, cut out to the exact pattern.

The blow molds are facing a certain way.

Lines have to be straight.

We try to make an organized display.

Brant, I approve. You did a good job. Awesome.

Brant: Putting together this display

has always been a great bonding experience with my dad.

And I couldn't have done all this without him, that's for sure.

I think we're ready to go.

Yeah, that should be the last thing.

I think we make a pretty good team.

♪♪

[ All cheering ]

Hello, hello! Hi!

Wow! You guys are looking good tonight!

Brad: Thank you.

Thank you, thank you. I like it.

I am Brad Buchanan.

Hi. And this is my son, Brant.

Hi, Brant. Nice to meet you.

Hi, Taniya. Nice to meet you. Tell me about yourself.

We are known as the Candy Cane House.

And you'll see that -- Well, that's very fitting.

You'll see that as the lights come on.

We've been decorating for a number of years now,

and it got too big for me...

Oh, boy. Yeah. ...for the most part.

So I basically handed off the keys to Brant.

So now Brant has a special key to present to you.

Alright! Let's do it!

Yeah. Let's take you on over.

Whoo!

Here we have a special candy-cane key...

Whoa! Fancy! ...to turn on our display.

Alright. You guys ready?

[ All cheer ]

Yes! Alright! Let me get in position.

Here we go. In...

All: Three, two, one!

[ All cheer ]

Whoo! Yeah!

Wow! Oh, my goodness!

All: Three, two, one!

♪♪

[ All cheering ] Taniya: Whoo!

Yeah! Wow!

Oh, my goodness!

[ All cheering ]

I need to go back to take it all in!

Wow!

Brad: Whoo-hoo-hoo!

Whoo! That is beautiful!

Thank you.

Look at all those blow molds!

And that gigantic arch.

Oh, my gosh. Santa's flying through the air. Oh, yeah.

This is amazing! Thank you.

I love it. It's beautiful.

The way you wrapped that tree is gorgeous. Brant: Yeah. Thanks.

Is that a gigantic candy cane I see up there?

Brad: Yes, it is.

Oh. I love your colors.

The blues, the greens, even the rainbow-colored lights.

I want to get in and take a closer look.

-Absolutely. -Absolutely. Yeah.

Alright. Guys, thank you so much.

Merry Christmas!

Whoo-hoo!

[ All cheering ]

♪♪

Taniya: So, this arch is how tall?

About 20 feet in the air.

And I think we're about 34 feet wide.

How on earth do you get that to stay put?

I mean, I know it gets windy and rainy out here.

Brant here is a mechanical engineer...

Doesn't that come in handy.

We're able to come up with a way -- a design

to make really strong stands, bases.

So, on the base, we use ABS.

It's a little bit flexible,

so it can, you know, withstand some motion.

And then the top is out of PVC,

which is a little bit stronger.

Ah. So it's a little combo.

And the guy-wires keep it in place

so that no matter the weather, it will stay in place.

Nice. Did you ever think you'd be using your education

for putting up Christmas lights?

Well, it certainly has come in handy.

I bet. I bet. That's amazing.

And I also love the fact

that you have lights strewn across the yard.

Yeah, so, we put in dowels and wind the lights around

and create a nice sea of lights.

Wow. Yeah. And then they stay put. They stay put.

Brad: They stay put. It keeps them off the ground.

With all the rain... Yeah, I bet that rain

is a real problem out here, huh?

It can be. Yeah.

♪♪

You have grazing reindeer with these patches of grass.

Is this real? It's real.

-It is real. -Well, that's awesome.

It just adds so much depth with the lights on it, too. It does!

And it also at the same time covers up any extension cords.

It's a really beautiful way

to add texture and life to the driveway,

which can usually become one big, empty, flat spot.

It was for a lot of years. Not anymore.

Yeah. Well, I see more reindeer up here.

And I also see more of your engineering.

So, this is probably one of the first blow-mold sets

that I ever bought, and I made these carriages

out of PVC so that they float side-by-side.

Oh, I love that you painted the PVC black

so it completely disappears.

Because when the lights went on,

it looked like they were just flying in the sky.

Exactly.

Brant: Over here, we have our Christmas boxes.

Oh, these are awesome.

We had an empty spot in the driveway,

and I saw these metal panels,

and I cut them into different shapes,

how we wanted, put lights on them and...

Brad: And, plus, they're open so that

you can still see things through them.

Oh, that's true. Right. It's not blocking the stuff behind it.

Yeah. No. That's fun. I love it!

♪♪

Oh, boy. There's just all kinds of blow molds.

Like, I've never seen blow molds like these little reindeer here.

So cute.

So much of your display

is built to withstand the rain and the weather.

Yep, the rebar is staked behind every figurine in the yard

and then wired so that it will be protected from the wind.

Brant: Yeah, another thing we do is we have these wooden bases

underneath each blow mold to keep them off the grass.

And also creates a nice, sturdy foundation for them.

I like a very manicured yard.

And before doing this, we had it just on the ground.

And then when we remove everything, it's dead!

No! You can't do that!

That's amazing. So the lawn stays green.

Right. So it's a twofer.

I like it. I like it a lot.

♪♪

Speaking of DIY, I'll show you something over here.

How is a mega tree sitting on top of your house right now?

Engineer ingenuity.

Engineer ingenuity. Can we go look at it?

Yeah. Let's go take a look.

Engineer ingenuity. I like that.

I like it, too.

♪♪

Wow. Now, that's a view.

This is awesome. I thought it was on the roof,

but we're actually on a second-level deck.

Yeah, so, we're already 10 feet off the ground,

but then we also have another 22 feet up in the air

with the star on top.

I love it. It looks so good.

Brant: Take a look at another piece.

♪♪

Whoa! Yes!

And this, my friends,

is why we call it the Candy Cane House, right?

-Yes, it is. -Exactly.

That is the biggest candy cane I've ever seen.

Brant: Yeah, we're about 35 feet long. Wow!

Brad: I use a PVC foundation for the whole thing

that just plugs together and is painted black.

And then we attach the L.E.D. rope lights to the main frame.

That is unbelievable.

And the snowflakes! I can see that's also PVC.

Yes, it is. Yeah. So you made those, too?!

For sure. Yes. Wow.

Well, I love it. I think it is such a fun touch.

Absolutely.

From the candy-cane suits to the candy-cane key

to a 35-foot candy cane on top of the roof,

this display is sweet.

Guys, I had so much fun.

There's so many things I love about the display.

And I love the two of you doing this together,

father and son.

The bonding experience we've had over the years

has been absolutely amazing.

Every year when we put together this display,

I think of all the memories -- where it started,

where it is now, all the fun we've had building things.

And hope to keep it going. Yeah.

Thank you so much. I do have to get going.

I understand. Thank you.

Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.

-Bye, Taniya. -Bye!

-Wow, buddy. That was awesome. -Yeah. Good job.

Brad: I never could have imagined this in my dreams,

but what a great time.

♪♪

My name is Arcelie Clinkscales.

This is the Happy House.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

It's a little slow. Come on.

I'm born in the Philippines.

Christmas in the Philippines,

at that time, we don't have no electricity.

We cut color paper

and make our own ornaments.

Since we buy this house, that was 1990s,

I started to decorate.

Mostly I do this for the kids.

Choo-choo! Are you ready?! Ready. [ Laughs ]

And also my family and my neighbors.

Because Christmas is for everybody.

This is made in the Philippines.

My display is traditional for me

because the parol is from the Philippines,

and I really like to bring it here.

Gonna put this one over here.

The parol symbolize light over darkness

and also hope and goodwill.

Christmas now is happy. I'm so happy.

I'm ready for Taniya now.

I hope Taniya will like my display. I hope.

[ Laughs ]

♪♪

[ All cheering ]

Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi, Taniya.

Oh, my goodness! Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas. Hi, everybody!

All: Hi!

Tell me who you are.

My name is Arcelie Clinkscales.

And this is my husband, my brother,

and friends and neighbors.

Oh, I love it. I love that you're all here tonight.

So how long have you lived here, Arcelie?

Since 1990.

And, then, how long have you been doing this display?

Since then.

Since the beginning of your time here?

Over 30 years now you've been doing this.

Yes. What made you start doing it?

I grew up in the Philippines,

and we don't have no electricity at that time.

Okay.

And we make our own ornaments.

And besides that,

it's full of joys.

Full of joy. Yeah. Yes.

When I got here and I decorate,

I asked my brother, my sister, my family not to buy me clothes,

to buy me things to display.

The only thing you want is stuff to decorate with.

Yes. Yeah.

For the community. Especially the kids.

Yes. Yes.

Well, I'm excited to see it.

Do we have a special way to get it started?

Uhp. There we go.

The good old-fashioned way, right?

Yes. Plug it in. Huh?

Is everybody ready?

[ All cheering ] Yes!

Here we go! Three...

All: Two, one!

[ Electricity crackles ]

[ All cheering ]

Taniya: Oh, look at that!

Whoo!

Wow! Arcelie, it's beautiful!

♪♪

Oh, my goodness. Arcelie, it is covered!

I don't see any grass or any house.

I only see lights. [ Laughs ]

This is awesome. I'm loving the stars.

I see all these inflatables.

They're actually taller than your house.

Yeah. [ Laughs ]

I see a big snowman and Santa.

I'm seeing all kinds of things. And the colors are amazing!

That is gorgeous!

Oh, well, this is gonna be so fun.

I want to go in and take a look. Alright.

Yes! Well, thank you, guys. Merry Christmas!

Come on with me. Let's go! Let's go!

[ Laughs ]

♪♪

Taniya: Arcelie, this is amazing.

I love that you set up the driveway

with all these inflatables.

It's for the kids. It's for the kids. Yeah.

There's no more in the store of these things.

So they become collectibles to you.

Yeah. Wow.

Up on the roof, you have these stars

that are propped up like that.

We put the block, so will...

Visible? Yes.

Do you get up on the roof yourself?

Yes, I do. You're not afraid?

Well, I do that every year.

Nobody go there except me.

Wow. And do you make the stars?

My husband made it.

He made it? Yeah.

It's awesome. Thank you.

Taniya, I have more things to show to you in the garden.

Wow. What are these? Roses?!

-Yes. -Look at this!

Taniya: The display -- it's bright

and it's energized and it's exciting.

Why is it so important to you

to make sure that everything is covered with lights?

To make it brighter. Yes. I love it.

Yeah, to make it brighter.

And it's bright. It's the brightest thing on the block.

Yeah. [ Both laugh ]

♪♪

My daughter give me this.

Oh, I love it. It's so tall. That is perfect.

And it's perfect in here in the display.

I like the way you placed everything

because you have a lot of things happening in here,

but it feels, like, hearty.

It feels full of...

Full of energy. Yes. Full of energy. Exactly.

I feel completely hugged by Christmas lights.

Yes.

Taniya, I like to show you something.

This is very important to me.

This is made in the Philippines.

-Oh! -All this.

Arcelie: The one in the wall. We call it parol.

It's a decoration every Christmas in our houses.

Taniya: They're beautiful.

They're made by shell.

Shells. Ohh. I see what you're saying.

So it's a metal wire, and then it's a shell,

and then the lights.

Yes. Then put the lights. Wow. Okay.

They're really so beautiful.

It's nice that you're bringing

some of your own heritage into the display.

They are lights. They are meaningful to you.

And they are perfect for a holiday display.

Thank you.

♪♪

Can we take a walk into the garden?

-Sure. -This is awesome!

Arcelie, the fact that you have this big garden here

filled with roses and Christmas lights!

It's just amazing!

It's almost like the lights are growing up from the ground.

-Yes. -This is so co--

-Look how pretty they are! -Yes.

Taniya: I like that you have these animals

spread throughout the garden.

You know, it feels natural.

You have reindeer grazing through. Yeah.

I hope they're not eating your roses.

Don't you eat her roses!

No! [ Both laugh ]

You mentioned earlier that basically you tell everybody,

"Don't get me gifts.

Just get me things for the Christmas display." Yes.

So, point out some of the things that you've gotten as gifts.

That tree from my nephew and niece.

Uh-huh.

And that mega tree -- my brother gave it to me.

That's beautiful. Yeah.

The spiral tree is a gift from my friend.

I love the fact that most of your pieces are gifted to you,

because it makes this whole area

feel like a garden full of love.

That's true. Yes. It's just growing from your family.

Yes.

Arcelie's family has gifted her

so many pieces,

and, in turn, Arcelie gifts her display

to everybody else.

What a beautiful display, Arcelie.

You told me that you grew up in the Philippines

with a love for Christmas but no electricity.

And now... look at this!

What does it mean to you to be able to do this?

Very meaningful. Very meaningful.

And, um, I love.

I love this.

I give it to the kids.

As I always tell them,

"This is for you, not for me."

If there's one thing that is crystal clear,

it's Arcelie's passion and love for Christmas.

Thank you so much. I do have to go.

I hate you to go. [ Laughs ] Aww!

I've seen four incredible displays,

but being here and seeing this Christmas garden,

it's gonna make my decision really difficult to pick.

Merry Christmas!

Narrator: Think you've got what it takes

to outshine the competition?

Apply now at abc.com/casting.

♪♪

[ Engine starts ]

♪♪

It's been a jolly competition full of Christmas cheer.

All: Ohh...

[ All cheering ]

Taniya: The Blasko family from Mishawaka, Indiana,

handcrafted an incredible DIY Christmas

dreamt up and executed by the kids.

This is this year's blueprint. What?!

Their blueprint for the holidays

was followed to perfection.

We've got our Tree-Rex. Whoa! [ Laughs ]

Taniya: The Blasko kids could give

Santa's elves a run for their money.

[ Electricity whirs ]

The Slankard family from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma,

took me back in time with their vintage collection.

This is like a museum.

The retro design was a memory-filled time capsule

of Christmases gone by.

'60s stuff from the Christmas -- I just -- It's magical.

Taniya: Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!

[ All cheering ]

The Buchanan family from Vancouver, Washington,

cooked up a scrumptious Candy Cane House.

Taniya: This is why we call it the Candy Cane House!

The entire property was expertly engineered

to withstand the elements.

Engineer ingenuity.

Engineer ingenuity. I like that.

This father/son duo set the candy bar

as high as their mega tree.

♪♪

The Clinkscales family from San Diego, California,

put on a colorful, festive holiday celebration

with a beautiful mix of Filipino culture

and traditional Americana.

This is made in the Philippines.

They're beautiful.

I was so impressed with this one-woman show.

Ooh. I think it's coming up right around the corner!

We're here!

And now it's the season of giving,

and I have the best present of all.

♪♪

Okay. Hit it, Santa.

[ "Jingle Bells" plays ]

Thanks for the ride! Merry Christmas!

♪♪

Adeline. Hi! Hi!

Quick. Go inside, get your family,

and meet me at the driveway. Okay.

Adeline: Taniya's here.

Phil: What?! Uh-huh.

Taniya: [ Laughs ] I love this.

Come on! Let's go!

[ Laughter ]

-What's up, guys? -Taniya!

Hi! How are you?

Lauren: Hi!

I feel like it's been a hot second since I've seen you all.

Welcome back. Thank you!

I was so amazed that this whole display was dreamt up by kids.

Adeline: Yes. It was built by kids.

And this display actually made me feel like a kid again!

Phil: Aww! That's awesome.

And that's the reason why...

you're the champions of "The Great Christmas Light Fight"!

And the $50,000 is yours!

Yes! Whoo-hoo!

[ Laughter ]

Oh, my gosh! This is amazing!

It's a dream come true!

This is awesome!

There's a million reasons

why I absolutely adored your display,

from DIY to dancing.

I love that you covered your entire house by lights.

I love the Tree-Rex dinosaur.

You guys got inventive

with things that you don't normally see.

And that's why you're the champions

of "The Great Christmas Light Fight"!

Thank you!

That trophy is gonna be on my bear-building station.

Well, it's funny. I don't seem to have a trophy on me.

You know what? Wait right here.

-Okay. -Where's the trophy?

Phil: Uh-oh.

Oh, my gosh!

I like to strut when I got something good.

[ Laughter ]

Oh, my goodness. Whoo-hoo-hoo!

Push the button. Push the button.

Yes! Here you go!

-Yes. -Oh, my gosh!

This is amazing! Oh, my gosh! This trophy!

[ All cheering ]

Whoo! Yes! Phil: I am so proud of these guys.

We have been working, you know, for the last nine years,

on putting our display together for the community.

We never thought it would turn into this.

I am so happy for them.

I just -- I cannot believe it.

Man, this is so -- This is so cool!

Their creativity and their hard work

and ingenuity did this,

and I am ridiculously proud of them.

I feel like we need to celebrate, right?

-Let's do it. -Let's go party!

Go celebrate! Hoo-hoo! Let's go.

We actually won "The Great Christmas Light Fight."

And it's so -- It's so --

Oh, my gosh. It's amazing.

Like, I cannot believe this.

[ All cheering ]

Taniya: Yeah!

Yes!

Heck yeah. Spin! Spin! Spin!

[ Laughter ]

Taniya: Whoo-hoo! My man!

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

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