It’s the lights before Christmas and all around the house... 

In a sea of twinkling Christmas lights, it was the motion of a light-decorated miniature Ferris wheel that enamored Natalee Maxwell’s 1-year-old daughter, Lilia, as the two perused a residential Christmas display in Albuquerque last week.

“It’s a family tradition,” said Maxwell, who grew up in the Hoffmantown neighborhood, home to the Bugg house.

“Now, my daughter gets to experience it,” Maxwell said as she watched Lilia’s amazement at the display. “When you have a baby… you're kind of seeing the world through her eyes.”

Maxwell is one of several Albuquerque residents who flock to the Bugg house, located at 2233 Hoffman NE, every year during the Christmas season to observe the home’s over-the-top light display, which includes roughly 100,000 lights, 50 penguin figurines, arch-covered walkways and several mechanical pieces, according to resident Jared Bugg.

Bugg’s grandparents — Norman Bugg, who died in 2018, and Joyce Bugg — started their elaborate decorations in 1971.

“It has always been for the community,” said Jared Bugg, who serves as a caregiver for his grandmother and his father, Nate Bugg. “It's always been to give back to the people that can't afford lights or just don't have the time, so they can drive by and just see the Christmas lights.”

It took the Buggs four weeks to put together this year’s display, which will stay lit through New Year’s Eve. The display shines bright from dusk through 10 p.m. but will run through midnight on Christmas Eve.

The Bugg house isn’t the only residential property in Albuquerque sporting extreme Christmas spirit.

If you cruise 10 minutes north to 6701 Harper NE, you’ll find a collection of 167 Christmas inflatables that homeowner Gerald Lujan has spent 19 years creating.

“Every year it gets bigger and bigger,” Lujan said.

This year’s number, up from 134 inflatables last year, might be his limit, he said with a laugh.

It all started with a single Winnie the Pooh inflatable, which the family discovered stolen on Christmas Eve one year. Lujan hit the store the next day to find the holiday inflatables on sale, prompting him to buy a few and ignite a nearly two-decade tradition.

Lujan’s display takes about a month to complete and is up from November through Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in January. The display is lit up all night on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and for about five hours after dusk on a normal day.

The most expensive inflatable in Lujan’s collection costs about $300 but in honor of the first trip that started it all, Lujan waits until after Christmas to buy them at half off.

With his kids mostly grown and out of the house, Lujan said it’s primarily the community that motivates the spirited effort, he said.

“I get a lot of notes in the mailbox thanking me, and I do it for all those people,” Lujan said. “It makes me feel good that people get some joy out of it.”

For Tammy Melloy, it’s the pure “love of Christmas” that inspires her and her husband’s extra jolly display at 8208 Northridge NE.

The Melloys started the display, now featuring more than 50,000 lights and 47 inflatables, when they got married 24 years ago.

Melloy joked the display has cost the pair “probably too much” over the years — but as self-described “Christmas-aholics,” Melloy said she and her husband derive as much joy from the display as the community does.

The Melloys also use the display as a chance to do some good.

Melloy had breast cancer two years ago, inspiring her to incorporate a donation bin for breast cancer patients into the display. Last year, Melloy collected 80 blankets, which she donated to friends who make chemo care bags. This year, she’s collecting beanies and mittens.

The Melloys’ display goes up after Halloween, usually shining from 5-11 p.m. The display remains on all night during Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve and comes down in January.

Figuring out where to plug things in without blowing a breaker is a yearly challenge. But Melloy’s cancer diagnosis has put some things into perspective and deepened her joy for the holiday season.

“I just love it — it warms my heart,” Melloy said. “When you hear, ‘You have cancer,’ you’re like, you know what? I appreciate it more.”

Maxwell said she appreciates the yearly efforts of homeowners like the Buggs and the memorable experiences their displays offer Albuquerque families.

“It’s just the pure joy of the season," Maxwell said, "and getting people to enjoy the simple things.” 

Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.