‘We love Christmas!’
Santa waves to everyone with much Christmas joy while dressed for the beach.
By Wade Daffron
TJ Editor
Traveling down Half Acre Rd. is like traveling back in time.
A simpler time when people smiled, waved, and exchanged pleasantries.
And at Christmas, neighborhoods would be filled with lights, sounds, and images of the holiday season.
For over 40 years, the Johnson family has kept that tradition going.
At 1334 Half Acre Rd, Christmas is alive and well and waiting to be seen and enjoyed by all.
“We’ve got a lot of lights, and we’ve got a lot of items,” Justine Johnson, proprietor of popular shopping spot Lake Shore Decor, in Russell Springs, said.
Her home, and her son’s adjacent home are a sight to behold at Christmastime.
Inflatables, blow molds, an illuminated arch, and a LOT of lights are carefully and creatively displayed.
“Those inflatables are really something,” Justine said. “We’ve got some 25-footers…Frosty, Rudolph, and even a penguin. They’re always up if it’s not windy.”
The display “comes on about 4:30 p.m.…and we leave them on till about 11 p.m.,” she said.
A longtime tradition, the Johnson’s Christmas display is ever-changing, and most certainly “a family thing.”
“We’ve added a little bit each year, a little something,” Justine said. “The kids enjoy it, and my son, Kevin (Or “KJ” as he is known to many), does most of it.”
“I help him a little,” Justine laughed. “My husband, (Odell) he’s the one who maintains the lights. He fixes them.”
Sure, it’s a lot of work, Justine admits, but to see the smiles and bright eyes of those stopping to view the display make it all worthwhile.
“We love it, and the kids enjoy it,” Justine said. “Usually if we’re there, I’ll give them like, a candy cane or something if I know they’re out there.”
She encourages people “to visit, take pictures, walk around.”
“Just watch for cords,” she cautioned.
Justine said the annual display is sort of like a gift to the community.
“I was brought up in a big family, and we love Christmas,” Justine explained. ’Someone came by the other day and asked me why I do it,” Justine said. “I said, ‘Why not?’
“As long as you can do it, and people love it, and get some enjoyment out of it…we’ll keep doing it,” Justine said with her ever-present smile.
Stacy Moran, who is also involved with the festivities, said she is amazed and appreciative of the labor and love the Johnsons put into the display, and the community.
“We just love everyone coming out and looking at the lights and we love spreading the love of Christmas and seeing everyone enjoy the hard work and dedication that goes into everything,” she said. “We love helping the community and doing things to cheer people up. That’s why God put us on this earth is to help one another and love one another like He loves us.”
“This family is amazing at what they do, and a lot of things go unnoticed and that’s the way they like it,” she said of their humble nature.
The lights will be on till just after the New Year, Justine said.
