Tacky Lights: 80,000 lights at Midlothian home

There are tacky light veterans who wouldn’t miss a chance to light up their neighborhood and newcomers ready to wow.

The tradition is special for Cody Irvine and his family in Midlothian.

“I grew up going to the Phifer house (at 9604 Asbury Court), so that was always the top of the game for me,” Irvine said. “I’ve been going there for 20 years. You end up creating memories for families. Some of the best times that I had with my family in the holiday season was at the Phifer house, so I’d love to create that for other people.”

The Irvines have been lighting up for six years at 11912 Gardengate Road with over 80,000 lights covering the house alone. There’s more in the yard, and towering trees that can be seen shining from Genito Road. They’ve even expanded into their neighbors’ yards, lighting up their trees and driveways.

How they light up for Tacky Lights

Irvine, 29, used a crane from JGR Rentals to put lights high up in the trees while his wife, Jocelynn, stood across the street with a walkie talkie, letting him know once he got it just right.

Irvine is a carpenter and will soon begin his job with Monster Truck Jam.

A family effort, Cody, Jocelynn and Cody’s parents, Lisa and Bob, began preparations for the holiday lights the day after Halloween.

There are 119 blow molds including nutcrackers, candy canes, polar bears and an ice cream cone.

A special detail is a vintage 1960s Santa in his sleigh with reindeer flying off the roof, a decoration that belonged to Irvine’s grandfather.

“My grandfather was putting those up when my dad was a kid,” he said.

There is also a camera out in front. The Irvines welcome visitors to leave video messages saying where they’re visiting from and what they like about the house.

“We’ve had carolers, we’ve had reviews, and we’ve had requests,” said Jocelynn Irvine, who is in charge of the home’s social media pages. She says that last year someone stopped by and left a message saying they had no “Die Hard” decorations.

“So Cody immediately made a decoration of John McClane in an air vent for them.”

Making holiday memories

For the Irvines, the holiday season doesn’t start without the lights.

“I wake up every Thanksgiving, watch the parade and then go and test C9 bulbs. We just stretch out all of our extension cords and light sets in the driveway and start testing bulbs on Thanksgiving.”

Irvine buys decorations throughout the year to prepare for their display. He says his family has always decorated, but nothing like what they do now. The tradition slowed down once Irvine went off to college.

“We went through a financial hardship and ended up losing that house and a storage unit that had all that stuff in it. But we’ve built it back up in the past six years,” he said.

Last week, the family hosted their first ever Irvine Family Lighting Ceremony with music, hot chocolate, cider, and a bake sale benefiting the Autism Society.

Families walked from all over the neighborhood to line the street facing the house. Jocelynn sang along for carols and holiday tunes like the ever popular “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” by Mariah Carey.

Families sang, sipped hot chocolate and waved to special guest, Santa Claus, who was in charge of pulling the lever, turning on a mass of lights that lit up the street.

Becky Jenkins, 75, lives across the street from the Irvines. She usually decorates her home for the season, but this year, Jenkins says she went dark so the Irvines could shine even brighter.

“I love it. I’ve been watching him for the last few days,” said Jenkins. “I can sometimes be in a grumpy mood in the evening, and if I open my front door and look out, it just like makes me feel better.

“I just see how much work it is. And it’s so cool because the whole family works together.”

The Tacky Lights tradition began in 1985 when Richmond DJ Mad Dog Gottlieb booked a WINN Transportation bus for a “tacky lights” tour of 10 to 12 houses in the West End. It’s become a Richmond tradition, building a following and friendships.

The Phifers even gave the Irvines some tacky light advice; if you hang rubber snakes in the tree with the lights, it will keep animals from chewing on the cords.

“It’s a great community, that’s something I never knew,” said Irvine. “Everybody talks to each other, and they all learn from each other, and they’re all really willing to share how they do things, which is really cool.”

“It’s so nice. learning from people who’ve been doing it for years. We talked to the owners of the RVA Pig House, and I was telling her that we added our first pig. It’s cool, the community is great,” said Jocelynn.

The Irvines will stay lit until Jan. 1. The family will be out every night, from 6 p.m.- 9 p.m. with hot chocolate, cider and selling baked goods and bracelets to benefit the Autism Society.