Magnolia man’s dazzling 385,000-light Christmas walkthrough grows bigger each year

Every holiday season is a magical time for Gene Scott of Magnolia, who takes about a month each year to set up his home Christmas lights display walkthrough.

Scott’s current display of about 385,000 lights and 450 feet of walking path began as an idea six years ago when his nephew was in town and wanted to see Christmas lights.

“My nephew was in town and wanted to see Christmas lights, but nobody really had them out at the time,” said Scott. “I had to take him out of town, but I thought to myself I will have something to show him in Magnolia next year. This is the third year of having my lights out.”

That first year, in 2020, he started with about 34,000 lights. Scott was temporarily off work during the early months of COVID-19 when his company shut down for six months and encouraged employees to file for unemployment.

“I called the unemployment office, I said I don’t need this money, I don’t want it,” Scott said. “They said it’s your money, use it. So, I figured I would use it for good. I said, you know what, I’m going to put some Christmas lights up, and that was year one.”

Scott has opened his yard to the public seven days a week, 5:30-10 p.m. through Jan. 2 at his home at 310 E. Carrollton St. in Magnolia. Everybody is welcome, and the display is lit Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Santa Claus will be at Scott’s Saturday, Dec. 6, and Saturday, Dec. 20 for children to visit. All are welcome.

The walkthrough is free, but there is a donation box for those who wish to help.

“It is never enough to cover the cost, but it helps some,” said Scott. “I don’t do it for the money, I do it for the kids and visitors. Sometimes a church or a local nursing home will bus residents down to see the lights, and that warms my heart.”

Visitors may walk through the path of lights Scott has laid out. There is a spot with a bench, hot chocolate and treats for those who wish to take a break or sit and enjoy the lights.

Scott is always adding and moving objects each year, including several homemade items and vintage light-up pieces dating back to the 1960s. This year, he said, is the biggest transformation yet.

“In the five years I’ve been doing this, this is the first year that I have been elated on how it came out,” Scott said. “To me, this has electricity, this has feeling to it, and it has that wow factor.”

One main project for this year was improving the popular Candyland area, located near the exit of the walkthrough. Scott removed a former carport and enlarged the space to make it more immersive.

“I have noticed the Candyland area is a big attraction and I improved it quite a bit this year,” said Scott. “It is fun to see yearly visitors look for new items and point out things that have changed positions from the previous year.”

Candyland now includes giant ice cream cones, brighter gumdrops and a candy cane windmill. Scott built many of the pieces himself, using planters, small plastic trash cans, play balls, expanding spray foam and multicolor lights to create the look of frosted, sprinkled treats.

The walkthrough now also features a large display with a pond and stream of lights. The main mountain section stretches about 27 feet long and 15 feet high. Scott said there are roughly 32,000 lights on the mountain alone and about 9,000 more on the pond.

Scott likes to experiment with materials to create new effects. This year he used more than 100 cans of spray foam for snow, whipped cream and ice cream effects.

“I like to build, I like to have to think and come up with something unique,” he said.

The giant star high in the sky on a pole is Scott’s first homemade creation and contains about 3,700 LED lights. A giant snowman Scott built in the corner of his yard lights up the block and can be seen from Magnolia Square.

“The snowman took 6,700 LED lights and 1,000 feet of steel,” said Scott. “It weighs about 275 pounds and is 11 feet tall.”

Another showpiece is a spinning carousel built from a solid oak tabletop he found in Carrollton, topped with lighted horses and small animal figures. There is also a long tunnel of lights, which Scott said holds about 11,000 lights, and a “snowflake tunnel” to break up the path and add variety.

New this year is a unicorn-themed area for younger visitors and an elaborate Santa’s Workshop display with a spinning floor and a mix of vintage and modern toys.

“We always want movement,” Scott said. “We added those so the kids today could understand more of a modern feel, but still try to keep it vintage looking.”

Scott has hired electrical engineers to make sure the electrical display is safe and properly distributed. About 84 outlets are used outside to power the lights. He adds new lights and items every year and tries to collect new objects annually.

“It really is addicting,” said Scott. “I never stop building new things and restoring older displays like the older 1960s ones. I will for sure find a way to keep them restored and in working order.”

Scott said he would not be able to do it without help from several people, including longtime helper Cheyenne Hawkins, who he calls one of his hardest workers, Rich Brink of Mineral City, neighbor Josh DeLong and his son, Jeffrey.

“There are about five to six people who help each weekend,” Scott said.

He added that he would like to thank his wife, Mary, who helps on the financial side and figures out the best way to budget spending costs for the whole event.

“I have the greatest neighbors in the world,” said Scott. “They support this, and Magnolia is a really great town.”

Scott said that after his lights went up three years ago, he noticed other residents decorating their houses around town.

“The biggest reason I do this is for the kids,” said Scott. “But I do have an end goal, to be featured on the ‘Great Christmas Light Fight’ show on ABC. I don’t have to win, but it would be great to be featured on the show.”