WYOMING, Pa. — It's the season's sights, and there's no better view than the holiday display along this mile-long stretch of Bunker Hill Road in Kingston Township.
The not-so-hidden holiday gem in Luzerne County, Bunker Hill Christmas, has been on display for several decades. It was started by Joe Kaleta's family when he was in high school.
"My father, he would help me, but he wasn't much about putting the lights up, but he would help. He would say, 'You just tell me what to do.' But unfortunately, I lost my father in 2013," said Joe.
Since then, his wife, Nikki, has helped him carry on the tradition for nearly a decade.
"The first Christmas I was with him, we were out wrapping the trees and he joked that I had no idea what I was in for, and I didn't," said Nikki.
It's only grown from there. The two now bring the lights to life by making their own displays by hand. Kaleta says it's become too big to count.
"The biggest thing is power, running power for everything. There's over 20,000 feet of extension cord," explained Kaleta.
But this year, the smallest addition to the display has the biggest meaning.
"It's actually a memorial tree for my father. It's a red oak tree. It's the first year that we're able to wrap it, but there's probably 10-15 thousand lights on just that tree," he pointed out.
As they worked as hard as the elves at the North Pole to get it all up and running, Mother Nature had other plans. The first snow of the season dumped more than a foot, bringing down trees and branches across the property with it.
"When you walked outside that morning, you could hear it. I'd say three or four times in a minute, you'd hear [the branches breaking] all over the mountain," added Nikki.
While the woodchipper isn't usually part of their setup, this year, it was needed to make sure they were lit in time for the start of the season and the one thing untouched: his dad's memorial tree.
"The tree's working perfect, so I think he must be making sure it's working perfectly for me. But no, it's nice to keep doing it, and the best thing is seeing the people's responses to it," said Joe.
Not letting Mother Nature stop them from carrying on the beloved tradition on Bunker Hill.
"But especially in recent years, since COVID and the economy being what it is, having something free for families to do. I think it's just so special and so important," she said.
The free display near Wyoming will be lit up on Bunker Hill Road every night through New Year's Eve.