Among the elite class of Bay Area holiday lights enthusiasts, Dave Rezendes is one of the OGs.
For the past four decades, the deacon at Livermore’s St. Michael Church and his band of volunteers have gone to wonderful extremes to transform his home, Casa del Pomba, into a bright, shining winter wonderland.
RELATED: The great illuminators: 18 amazing Bay Area holiday lights displays
And this year, Rezendes’s Casa del Pomba display gets a starring role on TV. It will be one of eight elaborate family displays from around the country competing on this year’s ABC reality TV series, “The Great Christmas Light Fight.” The two-hour show airs Thursday, Dec. 5.
Lifestyle expert Carter Oosterhouse and interior designer Taniya Nayak will return as celebrity judges for the show, Deadline reported. In each one-hour episode, four families will present their elaborate decorations in the hope of winning the coveted Light Fight trophy and a $50,000 prize. The episode featuring Casa del Pomona airs at 9 p.m.
In a trailer for the show, Rezendes and his volunteers talk about their theme for this year’s display, saying it will be “The World Celebrates Christmas.” The trailer also presents the Casa del Pomba volunteers building a castle-like setting for visitors to enter, as they begin their journey about Rezendes’s property.
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Rezendes emphasizes that everything in the display is handmade on site, while explaining why he began hanging lights around his house in the first place.
“I wanted to do something for people of all faiths or no faith,” he said. “The display is like a snowball rolling down a hill, taking that spirit of Christmas with it, so that people will go outside the gates and take that spirit of Christmas with them.”
You can also visit Deacon Dave’s display in person. The show runs nightly, starting at 6 p.m., through Jan. 1 at 352 Hillcrest Ave. in Livermore; http://casadelpomba.com.
Find more information about Deacon Dave’s display and other incredible Bay Area light shows in this rundown on 18 amazing holiday lights display in the Bay Area.
