Deck the House: Danvers home lights up neighborhood

DANVERS, Mass. (WHDH) -- Forget deck the halls; it's deck the house. One home in Danvers has more Christmas spirit than any other on the block.

A family's bright idea is lighting up the whole neighborhood. The two homes on Arthur Street can’t be missed, sparkling from the air and glowing on the ground.

It’s a labor of Christmas love for Christine Elliott and her family. They attracted so many onlookers that they decided to turn their mailbox into a donation drop box for Children’s Hospital. They raised $2,400 last year and are hoping to raise $5,000 this Christmas.

“I think there was a point where we were overboard. Then it was, ‘Okay, now that we’re at this point, we might as well go all the way,’” Christine Elliott said.

Neighbor Lorna Boudreau knew she couldn't beat 'em, so she joined 'em.

“You can't live next to this and not do anything,” said Boudreau. “My husband's a little obsessed with it.”

It's a pricey obsession for the pair of neighbors.

“It's not that different from running electric air conditioners on a hot August,” Elliott said.

But they say the work that begins in July is all worth it.

“It's amazing, it just brings out the best in people,” Elliott said.

“We have traffic every night, all night. Flashes of lights going in the living room, people taking pictures,” said Boudreau.

People like the Cotters, who drove by after they saw the display last year.

“The waterfall -- all the kids ask to come see the waterfall,” Andrea Cotter said.

And even neighbors say it puts them in a holiday mood even though they’ve had to invest in a few blackout shades.

“Best seat in the house for free,” said one neighbor. “Whenever you want to feel the Christmas spirit just pull up the shade and there you go.”

The two families are holding a “Cookies and Cocoa” fundraiser for Children’s Hospital from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday night at 3 Arthur Street in Danvers.