WOODWARD — You drive into Woodward from the south, turn east on Third Street by the fire station, and travel a few blocks. The street curves back to the north just outside the football stadium, and there it turns into Oak Avenue. Drive one block and you cannot miss it — there, ahead of you, on the left, another block away, on the rounded corner — that has to be it.
Your destination? Like hundreds of others, it is a slow drive past the home of Trent and Amy Fleshner at 102 Oak Ave. On the house, on the garage, on the backyard deck — and especially all over the spacious yard as you drive around the curve — is one of the more popular views on any serious “Go out looking at the Christmas lights” list.
Trent is the Group Learning Director at the Woodward Academy and Amy a Psychology Assistant at Woodward Resource Center. They, and daughters Eva and Lucy, ages nine and six, can be said to have been bitten hard by the decorating bug.
What started out a few years ago as two four-foot inflatables — a Snowman and a Santa Claus — has now turned into a display featuring 33 inflatable figures and scenes and another 20 or so more traditional characters.
“We inflate them and turn on the lights a little after 5 p.m. and then deflate and turn off at 10 p.m.,” Amy said. “We enjoy seeing people driving by and waving at the house. At first we wondered if the neighbors might be upset by the traffic it can sometimes cause, but they enjoy it as well and have been just wonderful about our visitors.”
Amy said she and Trent both grew up with a great love for the holidays and outdoor decorations, and while inflatables were not common “back in the day” they are about as modern as the wish to become.
“No laser lights or icicles or any of the recent fads here,” Amy said. “I have no problem with how anyone chooses to decorate their own home, but for us we like to stay with the tried and true. We even have several strings of the old 60s and 70s-style C9 lights, which I just love.”
With a display nearly bright enough to land airplanes by, the Fleshners have been safety-minded and cautious about the electricity involved.
“Everything is protected against the cold, wet and damp,” Amy said. “We had an electrician come and add extra outdoor outlets and run everything off of (safe) power stakes. We can run three inflatables off one stake and have 15 placed strategically around the yard and over 100 extension cords are required.
“We also use a whole lot of sand bags to weight the inflatables down,” she added. “Wind is one thing we look out for, and if gets too bad we deflate or never inflate them to start with. If it snows it is a big chore, running around and clearing the snow away so they will inflate. The girls always jump in and help us with that.”
Trent said he can count of the family electric bill tripling during the Christmas season but says it all worth it.
“We have been blessed and this is a way of spreading cheer we all like doing,” he said. “The girls like hearing from their friends at school that their parents drove them by ‘and we saw your house and loved it!’ which makes it all worthwhile.”
Amy stressed repeatedly her frugality in building the collection.
“We have never bought anything in season,” she said. “We always wait until January when the stores are trying to get rid of everything. One year we bought several pieces that would have cost almost $300 and I think I got them for something like $30 or $40. Everything — the lights, inflatables, figures, all of that — we have made sure to buy on sale.”
Social media has already impacted the family as video, photos and words of the display has spread. Some have even suggested making small donations to defray the costs for the family, but both were adamant in not wanting that to happen.
“There are many great causes at the holidays that need help, and while we appreciate the sentiment, we would ask someone thinking of doing so to give to a charity instead,” Amy said. “This is a special time of the year, and time for happiness and cheer, and our goal is to share that with as many people as possible.”
If the Fleshner’s have one regret, it is that neither is a wizard in the realm of computer technology.
“We would love it if someone who knows how to synchronize lights and music would contact us,” Amy said. “We tried once to pair up the lights and music and it didn’t work at all. Our inflatable army will keep growing, but we would love to add music to the lights — the kind of thing you see on the internet all the time.”
While justifiably proud of their home, the Fleshner’s were quick to point to others in Woodward who are also showing their holiday spirit.
“Just right here in our neighborhood are several homes that are just beautiful,” Amy said. “Even some who do something small — anything counts. You don’t have to go nuts about it like we have!”
Trent agreed, saying he had noticed a spike in outdoor decorating in the past few years.
“Now you see a lot of stuff out for Halloween, and that used to never happen,” he said. “I think Woodward can be proud of how many homes are lit up for Christmas. We are not a big town and it doesn’t take an hour to drive down the streets, but taking a little drive around here is worth it — there are some really great displays all over town.”
“We hope everyone who drives by our home goes slow and takes in the whole display,” she added. “People tell me they always see something new each time they come by. We don’t add to the display once it is up, but there is just so much to see you really do need to take your time. Please be safe if you drive by, and be sure to wave — we might just see you!”
