Christmas display lights up local neighborhood
This life-size singing and dancing Santa Claus greets visitors to Joe and Arlene Morovits’ great room. (Photos by Correne Martin)
Joe Morovits puts up so many Christmas lights and decorations at his home on Stuckey Road that he’s lost count. New this year, inside the home he shares with wife Arlene, is this Christmas village display tree he personally handcrafted.
People have enjoyed the Christmas light display so much that it was suggested to Joe and Arlene that they take in donations toward the cost. Instead of personally accepting them, they give all contributions to the local Operation Santa program and Couleecap Food Pantry.
Santa in his sleigh with his reindeer has been a focal point of the family’s outdoor holiday display for several years now.
Life-sized Christmas figures are aplenty inside the Morovits home.
Another new addition at Joe and Arlene Morovits’ home is this scene, featuring the Grinch and two snowmen carolers that have cutout faces. Families are invited to stop, stroll through the scenery and enjoy themselves.
By Correne Martin
“Before we moved here, you couldn’t find a bigger Ebenezer Scrooge than me. We put a 3-foot tree up Christmas Eve, and it was down by noon on Christmas,” admitted Prairie du Chien’s Joe Morovits, chuckling, knowing very well how his house on Stuckey Road is now decorated from every nook to every cranny.
The passion Joe and his wife Arlene have for the season has grown so vast, with numerous new decorations added every year, that their property has become quite the attraction. Even better, it benefits the Crawford County Operation Santa program and Couleecap Food Pantry in Prairie du Chien. Just drop a contribution in the donation box alongside his driveway and share your appreciation while also giving local charity.
Joe and Arlene have lit up the neighborhood behind the municipal airport—as seen from the Highway 18 Bypass—every December for seven years. The first few years included just lights around the house. But since, the yard ornaments and homemade embellishments have multiplied greatly. Joe, who works in maintenance at the Villa Louis, has a knack for this sort of thing.
Artificial trees are brought out of the attic and shed in early November. Then, 13 totes of decorations are emptied and assembled over the course of about three, 10-hour days, around Thanksgiving. Finally, timers are set to illuminate the property from 4 to 10 p.m. nightly.
“It’s so bright, a lot of nights we don’t need to turn our lights on inside the house,” Joe revealed.
The week of Christmas, the outside lights remain on until midnight each night. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, they stay on 24 hours.
Complementing Santa and his sleigh and another Santa in his workshop, the Morovits’ outdoor display features painted, wooden scenes with the Grinch, Santa on a motorcycle and a pair of snowmen carolers. The latter is actually a cutout too, offering passers-by the chance to hop out of their vehicle and pose for a picture, while seasonal music plays abound.
“We welcome people to walk through and enjoy themselves,” Joe said. “Sometimes, we even invite them in.”
Yes, it’s not just the exterior of the Morovits’ house that’s covered with flashing bulbs and Christmas characters.
The inside of the residence is reminiscent of a holiday surplus store. Every last room is filled, from top to bottom, with Santas, snowmen, angels, Christmas villages, trains, nativity scenes, teddy bears, reindeer, nutcrackers, elves, and the like. Joe sets up and strings 32 different Christmas trees with lights, while Arlene takes care of decking all the halls.
Walk inside the “great room” at the back of the home, and a life-size, vintage Santa greets you, in song and dance, at the door.
Another focal point stands in the basement: a hand-constructed, four-sided, Christmas village display tree that stands at least 6 feet tall. Miniature carousels, houses and stores, churches and ice skating rinks can be admired from 360 degrees around the display. Not far away, in the well of an unused fireplace, sits a beautiful, Middle Eastern nativity scene, hand-painted by Arlene’s grandmother.
These are only a few of the distinct elements that make the Morovits household quite the cozy home for Christmas. They, their two sons, three grandchildren and also their work families are regularly entertained there at Christmas.
Joe boasted that about 99 percent of his lights are LED, which has especially saved them money. He said his power bill only varies a couple dollars with the dazzling December addition.
They’ve also gained much of their collection thanks to friends and strangers who drop off artificial Christmas trees and lights on occasion. Joe noted he uses a tester to find burned bulbs and relights strings often.
“We go to auctions, rummage sales and after-Christmas sales. We find things on Ebay for a little bit of nothing. We’ve even recycled some CPR mannequins,” he laughed.
Each night, as the couple nestles up inside, they witness an average of 25-30 vehicles drive by at a leisurely pace, as the occupants examine the wondrous spectacle. If a car stops, the people might be invited indoors.
Joe and Arlene share videos of their display on social media so people from afar can see it as well. They have also hosted groups from area nursing homes and disability centers.
In the end, they take great pleasure in providing the inspiration of Christmas spirit to others.
“This is our way to give back to the community. We love to see the joy on people’s faces,” Joe said. “I hope it’s many years to come before we stop.”
Last year, over $130 in cash and food was given to Operation Santa and Couleecap from their efforts. Certainly, they hope for more this year.
