How Four Women Bring Three Million Lights to Life Every Holiday Season
Each holiday season, Bellingrath Gardens and Home in Theodore transforms into a glowing winter wonderland, delighting visitors with more than three million twinkling lights throughout the 65-acre estate. But most of the credit for the Magic Christmas in Lights spectacle belongs to a dedicated crew of just four women.
It is a year-round job. The busy time starts at the end of August, said Hayley Zirlott, senior assistant for the Magic Christmas in Lights display. Thats when the crew begins working in earnest, hanging lights around the gardens and coordinating with the maintenance team on the heavier pieces.
Melissa Wells, manager and showrunner of Magic Christmas in Lights, said her team of four spends about six weeks alone just pulling lights out of storage at the start of each season. They then start going through all the pieces, fixing them before the November opening.
Secrets of Smart Holiday Lighting Storage
Wells shared a few tips that home decorators might find useful. There is no such thing as a no-tangle strand, she explained. For her crew, the key technique involves wrapping strands around a hand to create a small ball, then storing them neatly in Coca-Cola crates, a practical system that keeps strands organized and easy to deploy the following year.
Unlike store-bought decorations, every display at Bellingrath is designed and built entirely on the grounds, with meticulous planning of every piece. Placement is carefully measured and rehearsed so each scene is balanced and visually striking.
The team has also been steadily transitioning to LED lighting technology. The shift from older incandescent bulbs to LEDs has made maintenance far easier, since a single burned-out incandescent bulb can kill an entire strand.
Decorating Tips From the Pros
For anyone looking to brighten up their own home, the Bellingrath team suggests wrapping small trees with two strands of lights each, starting with the male end of the plug at the base and winding tightly upward, then returning in an X formation and securing the bottom with a zip tie.
For shrubbery and bushes, Zirlott recommends a zigzag approach using a long cane pole with a hook on the end to gently drape lights from top to bottom. Adding lights to shrubbery will also help your home sparkle, she said.
Though the lighting technology has evolved over the years, the wonder of Bellingrath’s Magic Christmas in Lights has remained constant since the now decades-old tradition began. Each year brings a new display design, giving returning visitors something fresh to discover. The Theodore attraction, drawing visitors from across the Gulf Coast and beyond, remains one of the region’s most treasured holiday traditions.