Spring Valley home named best Christmas display in Alabama

SPRING VALLEY-For the past 44 years, the Christmas decorations at Bobby and Rosie Wright’s home in the Spring Valley community of Colbert County have been a favorite of Shoals residents.

This year, the fan base of the amazing display of Christmas lights is going to spread throughout Alabama and beyond. Only in Your State, a website that ranks the best of everything in states throughout the country, selected the Wright’s home as the best decorated in Alabama.

“Everybody knows us as the people with all the Christmas lights,” Rosie Wright said. “That’s fine with us, because we love Christmas.”

On most nights more than 100 vehicles an hour will turn into the Wright’s driveway and pass slowly past the Christmas decorations alongside and scattered around the yard. A circle at the end of the driveway helps keep traffic moving smoothly.

“We just love doing it,” Bobby Wright said. “When we first started, we never dreamed it was going to get this big. But it just keeps growing. We try to add more lights every year and crowds get bigger every year.”

Numerous family members and friends pitch in to help create and maintain the display.

Rosie Wright lost count years ago of how many lights are in their display. “There’s thousands and thousands of lights and miles and miles of wires.” It takes five sheds to store all the lights and decorations.

Rosie Wright said their utility bill more than doubles during the holiday season. “Our light bill is over $1,000. We would not be able to do this without the donations.” A drop box beside the driveway allows visitors to make donations to help the Wrights pay the utility bills and other costs of maintaining the holiday display. “Every dime we receive goes for the lights bills or to buy new lights and decorations.”

The Wright’s home is located southeast of Tuscumbia at 4170 Ricks Lane, Leighton. The lights are turned on a sundown and off around 10 p.m. nightly until Dec. 31. For directions and more details, call Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau at 256-383-0783, email, colberttourism@comcast.net.