Gabby Aki has lived in the Pebble Creek Christmas Lights neighborhood for almost five years now, and she really enjoys being a part of the festivity. It takes her family about two weeks to set up and decorate their yard. They do a 101 Dalmatians Countdown to Christmas theme each year, so they have their decorations set, but some families make new decorations annually.

The Aki family decorates their yard with snowflake Christmas lights bordering their lawn. They also have cutout images of the dalmatians all over their lawn. 

The families that choose to make new decorations for the next year sometimes begin up to a full year in advance to make sure they get them done on time. All the effort goes into the enjoyment of families and friends walking down the street.

Although there is no requirement for the residents to decorate their houses each year, most families do anyways. The atmosphere is very festive, so everyone wants to join in on the fun. 

Each year people from all over Rocklin walk and drive down the street to see all of the decorations. 

“It’s a tradition. You can’t really have Christmas without seeing the lights,” junior Carly Corum said.

She goes with her family each year to celebrate and get festive and be merry. Most Rocklin students go with friends and family to walk the streets every year, even bearing the cold winter nights. 

Gabby’s favorite part is seeing all the people enjoying the lights because “it’s fun people-watching and sitting outside and seeing all the kids walk by.”

The downside of the festivity is being really busy and hard to get in and out of the neighborhood. Gabby’s family bought a golf cart the first year they moved in so they had easier accessibility to the local grocery store during the season. The street gets so crowded that it’s nearly impossible to leave their house by car. Having the golf cart helps them with making quick trips if they don’t have time to waste getting out of the neighborhood. All of the hassle is well worth it though, as each year decorations get more and more intricate and flashy, keeping up with current trends and movies. The enjoyment this town gets out of the lights is immense and the tradition is well standing in its glory.