After three weeks of hanging up over 20,000 strands of lights and a month of programming, Jake Mays (‘15) finally finished decorating his house for Christmas. As you drive onto Monument Drive, it compares to no other houses on his street. The red, green, and white lights flash to the beat of the Christmas songs that play on your car’s radio station that are synced up to the lights.
Most people just see the light show as a way to celebrate the holidays, but the Mays family sees it as a way to celebrate and commemorate the life of Jake’s dad.
On December 26th, 2011, Jake lost his father, Brian Mays, due to a pulmonary edema. Even though he was only a freshman at the time of his father’s passing, Jake found it his duty to step up and take on the responsibilities of being the man of the house.
“My dad and I were really close. He was my baseball coach and we used to hang out a lot. It’s just really different around my house now without him there,” said Jake Mays (15).
Every year around the holidays, Jake and his dad had a tradition of putting up an extravagant light show in front of their house. Even though Jake no longer has his father there to help him, he still continued on the tradition.
“We’ve changed a lot of stuff and it’s become a lot bigger. My mom helps me with a couple of things but it’s mostly me. It’s something me and my dad both enjoyed doing and I didn’t want to quit” said Jake.
When asked about what he remembered most about his father, Jake said that he cared for everyone and was always there to help when it was needed. After his father’s passing, Jake said it really shed a light on how much his dad impacted people, which led him to build closer relationships with his dad’s friends. Jake hopes that every year he can make the light show even bigger and to carry on the tradition for years to come.
“The lights were a great way for Jake to honor his father’s memory. It’s something our neighbors enjoy and they have been really helpful. It’s something great to share with other people because it brings joy and happiness to them” said Jake’s mom, Mrs. Mays.