It could make the world a better place
At the home of Martha and William Kemp on U.S. Route 17 in Laneview, decorations are many, but the message is simple. “Keep Christmas in your heart year round, and the world would be a whole lot better place.” This is the message the Kemps hope people take away after seeing their field full of decorations, which in this case stay up nearly all year.
Traveling southbound on Route 17 their decorations light the way into Middlesex County. They are part of a promise Martha made to their granddaughter, “I was going to give her a winter wonderland,” Martha said. “That’s why it’s been up so long.”
Believing brings joy, especially at Christmas. “Merry, Happy, Peace,” words of the season — slogans to be remembered year round. “That’s what I want people to remember,” said William. “If we can get one person to keep Christmas in their heart, then the decorations are worth it.”
Hold that feeling
If one person can hold on to the Christmas Spirit, good karma will spread. “It doesn’t take much to start a movement,” said William. “If one person can do it then others will say, ‘I do it’ and it just spreads.”
Rewarding
“Just to hear people say that they love it and look forward to it makes it worth the time to do it,” said William. “When they tell us that, it gives us more motivation. We just love doing it.”
The Kemps’ rewards for the decorations come in unusual ways.
Some tell stories of happy Christmases of their youth. Others cry and get emotional.
A man who drives a truck hauling trash to landfills brought his wife from Maryland to see the lights.
People have donated to help pay the electric bill.
Worth the trip
Travelers are advised to slow down to see the Kemps’ lights.
William said he has to use guidewires for each display because there is nothing to break the wind. In the summer he has to move electric wires when he mows. “When you enjoy doing something, it’s not work.”
