From the darkness of the Morgantown countryside, an oasis of illumination draws you in.
Multicolored archways light the way along a gravel path around the Arnold family’s farm property. Decorated displays show scenes from Peanuts, barnyard animals and, of course, the Nativity.
Green and yellow lights cover massive pieces of farm machinery, next to blue-and-red lit semi trucks and trailers.
The Arnolds invite the community to immerse themselves in lights, decorations and other holiday fare — all to support seniors this holiday season. The third annual Christmas at the Farm transforms the southwestern Johnson County homestead into a drive-through display, where people can see beloved holiday characters, enjoy live music and sip on hot chocolate.
In return, the Arnolds are collecting non-perishable food items for Johnson County Senior Services to stock their food pantry.
The event is an opportunity to give families a free chance to see thousands and thousands of lights, while helping our neighbors, too.
“We do this knowing that other people can enjoy it,” said Lesa Arnold, who does the display with her husband, Jeff.
Starting in the fall, Jeff Arnold starts stringing up lights and putting together the decorations. For years, he has been the engine behind the Christmas display, though other family members lend a hand when they need to.
Getting everthing ready requires about 120 hours of work. And the displays keep growing and growing, Lesa Arnold said.
“It’s never-ending. We just keep going out and getting more,” Lesa Arnold said. “Jeff puts so much work into this. Christmas lights are his passion. These lights are not professionally hung, but they’re hung with love.”
The tradition started with the family decorating the home when their children were young. Year after year, they’d add a few more lights or another inflatable. With a large swath of land, complete with multiple barns, trees and a pond, there was ample room to grow.
People would regularly come during the month of December to drive through the property, taking in the winter wonder. Most nights, they still receive people driving through, Lesa Arnold said.
“People started driving in to see it, and that made us want to do more and more,” she said. “It’s just kind of grown from there.”
But in 2020, the Arnolds opted to harness their display’s popularity to help others. Lesa Arnold had been volunteering with Johnson County Senior Services, which provides transportation, food, medical equipment and other services for older adults in the community.
Seeing the impact the agency has, she wanted to do more.
“The elderly have a soft spot in my heart,” she said. ”After seeing how some of them live without, I wanted to find a way to make a difference. (Jeff) just loves Christmas lights, and so I thought it was one way we could incorporate the two together.”
By offering a place to see a free Christmas light display, in return for a few canned food items or boxes of non-perishable food, the Arnolds could create an experience for all families in the area.
For Johnson County Senior Services, the effort has helped some of the county’s most vulnerable residents for three years now, said Kimberly Smith, executive director of the agency.
“There are truly no words to express how much we love and appreciate the Arnolds for their authentic servant’s heart,” she said. “It is a true labor of love for their family as well as those that help to orchestrate such a magical night. It requires so much time, talent, energy, and heart to create this glowing holiday splendor.”
At Christmas at the Farm, a food donations are suggested, but not required, Lesa Arnold said. People can also make monetary donations to support Johnson County Senior Services.
And the community has responded. The initial year of the event, nearly 440 vehicles passed through the Arnolds’ farm, while a similar amount came by in 2021.
Christmas at the Farm is an event that the whole family gets behind, with the Arnolds’ children and other relatives and friends offering their assistance with everything from decorating hay bales to directing traffic to helping line up a jazz band to perform.
“We make it a whole family thing, with Jeff in charge,” Lesa Arnold said.
