The home in Plano’s Deerfield neighborhood draws hundreds of people a night.

PLANO, Texas — If you think you do Christmas lights right, this house will prove you wrong.

That’s how David and Melissa Loder got started with their giant holiday light display at their home in Plano’s Deerfield neighborhood. 

“When we moved here, they had a little contest, and we wanted the yard sign because we’re kind of Type A,” Melissa Loder explained. 

Suffice to say: they won.  

Every year, they transform their front lawn into “Elf Town” — an elaborate Christmas light display that defies description. 

It features a moving train, an elf tavern, an elf bakery and — new this year — an elf museum. No surprise this type of holiday cheer attracted the attention of the ABC show “The Great Christmas Light Fight,” which Melissa Loder describes as “a validation of what we do.” 


The scale of the operation is substantial, requiring two large off-site storage units to house all components year-round. Despite concerns about electricity costs, Melissa Loder said LED lights have helped manage expenses, noting “our electric bill is not sky high. LED lights have taken care of that. Electricity is more in the summertime.”

The display is waterproofed, and the Loders spend many evenings greeting visitors who come by — or tinkering with the model train, which keeps going off the rails. 

“Last year it ran the whole season with no issues at all,” David Loder said. 

The planning takes all year — “It’s a year-round hobby,” David said.

They insist, the neighbors don’t mind. 

“I don’t think we’ve had any negativity or any even curiosity about why we do it. Just appreciation,” Melissa said. 

And she said, despite all the work for all these years, the family plans to keep it up. 

“We’ve created something more than what we could ever imagined. We have created something that’s a part of so many people’s lives,” Melissa said. “We enjoy it. We still enjoy it.”Â