“We’ve always wanted to put out lights,” Chris Jones answered when asked where the idea of the Christmas lights came from. “We just ran out of room!”
And that’s where it all began. Red Bird Acres Christmas Lights.
Located in Clarkesville, Georgia, at 1164 East Glade Creek Road, the farm made its debut to the public last Christmas of 2022 with great success. Jones commented, “The positive experiences, the people we met, the laughter, the voices, it was overwhelming the wonderful feeling of the lights.”
Even Better This Year
This year promises to be even better. The Jones Family begins in late October preparing the pathway visitors will walk to view the lights, increasing from 1400 feet to over 2000. Some of the exhibits are in different places and new items have been added, but the most valuable ones – the Cross, the Manger, and the Chapel – as always – are front and center. It is more than obvious that the Jones’ know exactly why we celebrate the season.
“I finally found a man lift!” Jones added with excitement of his piece of equipment. He’d almost given up the search when his friend at Caine Equipment told him of one he’d had for about 5 years. “It was in the weeds and briars, but my friend and I fixed it up and it helps tremendously in getting the lights up.”
The process is not for the faint of heart. The family of 6 – mom, dad, and 4 children aged 22, 20, 18, and 9 – all work together to make the Christmas extravaganza possible.
“Our kids have a lot of ideas. Sometimes I think they enjoy doing it more than they let on,” Chris said with a chuckle.
Memorable Moments
“There was this little girl,” Chris reflects, “I’ll never forget her voice. She’d walk about 10 to 15 feet. Her face full of joy. She would say, ‘It’s a Christmas Miracle.’ That is what keeps me working when I start to feel I can’t do it.”
The stories overflow from Chris and Christy of the families who walked through the lights, their laughter, the bitter cold, the celebrations of the season, and the hope of Christmas. The kindness of people in the community expressing their gratitude left the Joneses speechless at times. From having their dinner purchased at restaurants by people they didn’t know, the offering of donations, and hearing the comments of those who passed through encourages the family to keep working.
The “WHY” behind the lights
There is a why behind everything that is done whether we know it or not. Red Bird Acres is no different. When asked, Christy got emotional.
“There are children who don’t get to experience beautiful decorations or lights at Christmas. For whatever reason – poverty or difficult family life – this is a way to give them what they so deserve to have. That, above all, would be the reason I do it,” she says.
Her husband, Chris, agrees.
“Sometimes I get so frustrated at all the work and when I do, I remember the kids. If we can bring that magical experience to just one child, we’ve done what we set out to do.”
Hours of Operation
Red Bird Acres Christmas Lights will open on Thanksgiving evening at dusk and continue through Christmas. The hours are dusk to 10 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. The week before Christmas, the display will be open nightly.
The Jones family says they’re excited for the second Season of Lights.
A tip from this writer – the most moving view of the Christmas lights is from a distance. As you drive down East Glade Creek and the curving road flows with hills, stop and look down. It reminds me of a city – very similar to what the Bible talks about “A city on a hill that can’t be hidden.”
