For twenty-one years, Colin and Katherine Fitzgerald have been gathering ornaments for their Christmas display.
The day after Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the transformation of the Fitzgeralds’ Beaverton house into a festive paradise, complete with Santas, otters, the Grinch, and other figures from Star Wars.
According to Colin, we began to get visitors who would return year after year to appreciate the lights and express their gratitude to us. For them, it became a custom, which was quite meaningful to us.
When the Fitzgeralds moved from Hillsboro to Beaverton six years ago, they took that tradition with them.
“It’s a little crazy, but we just carried it on when we moved here,” he said. However, it’s also a lot of fun.
Over 100,000 lights and a variety of decorations are included in the display, and there are yet more to come.
Beaverton’s Christmas light show on December 20, 2024, featuring the Fitzgerald family.OregonLive/The Oregonian | Teresa Mahoney
Beaverton’s Christmas light show on December 20, 2024, featuring the Fitzgerald family.OregonLive/The Oregonian | Teresa Mahoney
Beaverton’s Christmas light show on December 20, 2024, featuring the Fitzgerald family.OregonLive/The Oregonian | Teresa Mahoney
Colin claims that in order to keep the exhibit looking new, he makes minor aesthetic adjustments every year.
There are a few items I don’t release every year, so it changes from year to year, he explained. I go through in rotation.
In September, the Fitzgeralds start preparing for the holidays.
Additionally, they gather items for Red Tricycle Brigade, a charitable organization that donates toys to Randall Children’s Hospital patients.
People would frequently stop by and ask how we could help when we lived in Hillsboro. Can we make a financial contribution? “Katherine said.” Do you have a donation of any kind? And we didn’t. We learned that a family down the street would come and visit. When the youngster was three years old, they lost him. His name was Henry. [The family] started the Red Tricycle Brigade with another family and started collecting toys.
We said, can we help out? Because we have people stopping by. So we put the sign out and we started collecting toys and it s just taken off from there.
The Christmas display is designed to be interactive, with a scavenger hunt available via QR code. Katherine, a second-grade teacher, wanted to include something engaging and educational for younger visitors.
The QR code also provides answers to some frequently asked questions, like How long does it take to put up all of this? and Where do you store everything?
One of the most frequent questions, of course, is how much does it cost to keep the display lit?
Priceless, said Colin.
Fitzgerald Christmas Lights:5-10 p.m. daily through Dec. 31; 17566 S.W. Albert Court, Beaverton.
Other holiday light displays
WhilePeacock Lanein Southeast Portland is the most famous and possibly oldest of the area s holiday displays, it s certainly not the only one. You can find elaborate displays in neighborhoods all around the metro area.
A stroll through Peacock Lane in Southeast Portland in the Christmas season, December 16, 2021. Beth Nakamura/StaffThe Oregonian
Peacock Laneis open daily from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. until Dec. 31. Hot cocoa and cider are available nightly while supplies last.
Schilling Lights on Larkin Milwaukie features 50,000 lights synced to holiday tunes.
Schilling Lights is located at 15909 S.E. Lark Ave., Milwaukie, 5-10 p.m. nightly through Dec. 25. The New Year s light show begins Dec. 26. Song requests available until Jan. 12.
Zoo Lights, the Oregon Zoo s iconic light display, featuring thousands of lights and occasional sleepy zoo animals, runs through Jan. 5.
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