Video: Hidden Treasures — Woodland Christmas Lights

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WOODLAND, Miss. (WCBI) – This time of year the small town of Woodland in Chickasaw County is transformed into a winter wonderland. If you’re looking for a good light show, this is a place to see. It’s a Christmas spectacular. Snowflakes, Santa, snowmen and reindeer.

“There are absolutely millions of lights. There’s no way to count them all, just millions,” said Woodland resident Talitha Hudson.

The entire town of Woodland along Highway 15 is covered in Christmas cheer.

“There are a lot of ‘oohs and ahhs,’ and kids are like, ‘oh let’s see that again,’ and people want to drive through two or three times because they don’t see it all in one time,” Hudson said.

“I picked up my grandson in Starkville and we’re headed to Houston to watch a Christmas program. We came to see the lights on the way. We rode through there and all he would do is say ‘wow.’ It was really good,” said visitor Gary Allen.

Woodland started the holiday display about six years ago when the town received a large light donation from Dr. Clint and Laura Washington in Amory. The work begins in late October. Woodland Furniture employees and county jail inmates spend many hours untangling the lights.

“The mess is unbelievable. We store them on a tractor trailer every year. It takes three tractor trailers to get them all stored on, and then once you take them out, at least 50 percent of them are messed up and you have to change bulbs, change lights and change lines,” Hudson said.

The lights bring holiday joy to Woodland residents every year. They say it just wouldn’t be Christmas without this beautiful display. The majority of the lights are plugged into the town power poles and paid for by the town. But a lot of houses will allow the town to plug into their homes as well.

“Residents call us and say, ‘okay what can I have in my yard this year, what can you plug up at my house this year?’ They budget year round so they can pay for their electricity bill when it comes up. There are lights other places but I think our little bitty town is what makes our lights special. There’s so much love in our town and I think that’s what makes it special,” said Hudson.

This holiday tradition will be up through the weekend after Christmas. Lights turn on at dark around 5:00 p.m. and shut off around 10:00 p.m. You can visit Woodland every night of the week for free. The town can be found on Highway 15 in Chickasaw County. Call Woodland Furniture at (662)456-4315 for more information.