DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - If you’re looking to get into the holiday spirit, one Decatur farm is lighting up the season in a big way.
What started as a simple family tradition has grown into a full-scale Christmas light show at the Brix family farm on Garver Church Road.
“Welcome to the Brix family Christmas show,” David Brix said as thousands of Christmas lights glowed across the property.
Trees, rooftops and even farm equipment are now covered in lights — close to a million of them — turning the working farm into a festive drive-thru experience.
“Christmas was always special to the both of us as kids,” David Brix said. “Our house on the inside always went crazy. I’m talking crazy. Even now, we have like eight trees in our house.”
Since 2018, the Brix family has created a drive-thru light show that continues to grow every year. Visitors enter on the east side of the farm, where they’ll find illuminated trees, decorations and a photo area.
“There is stuff that you wouldn’t believe is lit up,” Brix said. “It’s lit up.”
The display is so immersive that some visitors don’t believe what they’re seeing.
“We had a video sent to us the other day where a kid actually thought they were fake,” Brix said. “He asked, ‘Is that a real farm?’ And we’re like, ‘Yep, 100 percent real.’ Everything you see is real.”
After taking last year off, the Brix family decided they had to bring the show back — largely because of the overwhelming response from the community.
“The minute we said we weren’t going to do it, people kept asking,” Brix said. “Walmart, Walgreens, even the hospital — everywhere we went, people asked if the light show was coming back.”
Dawn Brix says the gratitude they hear from visitors makes all the work worth it.
“Every day people tell us how much they enjoy it and how thankful they are that we’re back,” she said.
By tuning their car radios to 89.3 FM, families can enjoy music synced to the lights — creating memories the Brix family loves to witness firsthand.
“We sneak into the crowd and just watch,” David Brix said. “Seeing the kids, listening, dancing, singing — that by far is the best part.”
For the Brix family, the display is about more than lights.
“We always try to keep our faith at the forefront,” Dawn Brix said. “So many people have thanked us for telling the story of Jesus’ birth and bringing that message to light.”
The Brix family Christmas light show is open nightly until 8 p.m. during the week and until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The display runs through the end of the month.
More Coverage:
United Way, local barbers team up to put books in kids’ hands
ISP: 2 Decatur men arrested for human trafficking
Body, dash cam video shows off-duty Sheriff's deputy fleeing officers, driving into ditch
U of I Head Wrestling Coach placed on 'indefinite' administrative leave
Copyright 2025. WAND TV. All rights reserved.
