BIG RAPIDS — Traditions for some are a big part of the holidays, and for one Big Rapids family, their Christmas lights display has become a staple of the season in the community.
The Kent family home at the end of Golfview Drive in Big Rapids is famous for making the street glow throughout December. The tradition started after a subdivision Christmas party, and the family continued and grew their display over the decades.
Peter Kent, an 84-year-old Big Rapids resident, said his home has provided the light show during the holidays for over 30 years
“I love Christmas and the holidays and getting together with the family,” Kent said. “It’s just a meaningful type of season. I just think it’s a good way of spreading a lot of cheer and helping people enjoy the spirit of the holidays.”
Renee Kent, Peter’s daughter, volunteers to help each year with the hefty workload of putting all of the lights up.
Peter Kent said the tradition wouldn’t be possible without his daughter’s help.
“My daughter Renee is always the one who helps put the lights up each year,” Kent said. “She spends probably 40 hours putting all of the lights up because we have the whole house outlined and one blowup Santa Claus. She does everything out there in the cold, and I like them a whole lot, but I’m 84 now, and so she’s always been the ringleader around getting them up for a while now.
“She did the whole backyard, back deck, the front yard, and the side yard this year,” he added. “The combined package makes it all come together, and when you come around the curve in Golfview, you can see our house that just lights up the back end of the neighborhood. It’s just amazing when you see it, and I always love it. It’s really the best part of the season.”
Powering all of that "Christmas spirit" took some extra work years ago for Peter and Renee Kent. As the display grew to overtake the entire property, Peter Kent soon realized he needed to contact an electrician to dig a trench and put new plugs underground. He also ended up purchasing a larger electrical box to manage the extra power.
This year, Kent also had numerous trees on his property cut down to make more room for lights and visuals of the house through the trees.
Kent said his family’s plans for this year’s celebrations are a bit unconventional.
“Getting the family together, and that camaraderie and joy of seeing my grandkids and family," Kent said. "Sitting around the dinner table, opening presents, and watching Christmas movies. For me, it’s really all about the corny stuff like playing games and being a family.”
“We’ll probably keep doing the lights until the day I die,” he added. “I don’t know how many more years I’ve got, and I just thank God that I get up in the morning and see another day. We’ve got all kinds of decorations up in the house too, and we always start putting those up along with the lights in November.”
Kent especially appreciates the holidays in Big Rapids, including the parade, the lights and decorations throughout the city, and people being gracious.
He said his hopes are to be around to continue the light show tradition and spend time with family during the holidays for more years to come.
“I’d hope I’ve inspired my family to continue to the tradition after I’m gone. I think our family loves Christmas as much as I do,” Kent said. “I love being downtown and saying Merry Christmas to people, and I often think how nice it would be if we could say that all year round and not just a few weeks. I wish we could be this joyous all year long. I’m just so proud of my daughter and how much work she puts in each year to make it so special.”
“It takes a lot of time, patience and money,” he added. “Our light bill probably doubles, it’s costly and it takes a lot of hard work to get them up. You can’t be discouraged when you’re doing it. I think my daughter Renee would say be sure to have patience because once it’s all done it really is worth it."
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December 11, 2021 at 05:33PM
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Big Rapids family continues to light up the holidays - The Pioneer
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