You can’t help but stop and stare when you see all the decorations in just one yard of the historic California Heights neighborhood of Long Beach. It has brought people together.

Bob LoParo is getting his home ready for Christmas. Even though he gave up the snowy winters of Ohio to live in Long Beach, he doesn’t take the holidays lightly.

For nearly a decade, the light display on the corner of Gaviota Avenue and  East 37th Street has gotten a lot of attention. LoParo and his partner of 12 years Michael Pack love that.

Each year the display changes a little as they tinker with the layout. They’ve slowly invested thousands of dollars into it, buying huge inflatables from all over the country during after Christmas sales, sometimes even shipping them internationally.

It takes over their front yard.

Neither of them grew up doing this, though. This is a tradition they started together after they adopted children. The kids don’t usually help so it usually takes them an entire weekend to finish.

It has become locally iconic. One family even took their Christmas card photo in front of the fully decorated home. Pack and LoParo had no idea.

“They dropped one in our mailbox to let us know that they used it which was pretty special,” said Pack.

They don’t stop at Christmas. They also love decorating for Halloween.

All these decorations— even when deflated— take up a lot of space. The garage is hard to move around in because of all the boxes, but they have a system.

They are a two-person team that works well together. They know where everything is and the story behind each piece.

The two Saturdays leading up to Christmas, Pack and LoParo invite the neighborhood over for hot drinks and cookies. It brings the neighborhood together. It gives them a chance to take in what they’ve created.

The power bill shoots up several hundred dollars about this time each year for the couple. It’s worth it, though, when they see the final product.