ANAHEIM, Calif. — With Christmas just a few days away, Cory Schlicht is working overtime to perfect his present to the community.
After all, the last two years weren’t the brightest.
“People will just have a heavy walk to themselves. Their body is tired. You can see it,” said the homeowner in Anaheim.
Schlicht is a husband and father of three grown children. He was raised in a household that made it a tradition to decorate during the holidays. As a present to his neighbors and community, Schlicht wanted to create a display that’ll give people a moment to escape.
“All of a sudden, when they pass this archway of lights and pass my front area and all of a sudden, you can see them lose themselves for a few minutes as they’re walking through," said Schlicht. "It’s a pick-me-up that you can’t put any value on. You’ve helped them through a little time and forget about the day that they had just to enjoy the moment."
In order to do this, the production planner at a local manufacturing company spends hours into the night after work to string and carefully weave his lights for two weeks. He does all this in a limited amount of space on and around his condo.
Schlict's display caught the city’s attention five years ago when an organization called Anaheim Beautiful awarded his family the first multi-residential award for the best holiday lights. The family has been recognized every year since that initial award.
“We had so many lights on this place that it was rivaling actual houses, to the point where they’ve never seen a place, like a condo or apartment, hold its own to a full-on house. It was very humbling and I felt good that it opened a doorway for others," said Schlicht.
Schlicht's family moved into the neighborhood more than 10 years ago when the area was pretty dark during the holidays. It took some time, but each year, the Schlichts got more of the condos on North Cedar Glen Drive to join them in decorating.
“I want to enjoy all of the years I’ve got left doing this and I can influence as many people as I can, that’s basically what I’m trying to do,” he said.
Schlicht takes advantage of after-Christmas Day sales and purchases decorations because he’ll always find use for them or would gladly give them away to neighbors. He started with a string of lights and didn’t let the size of his home stop his creativity from flowing. He believes anyone can start because in all of us is a holiday spirit waiting to shine.
The Schlichts live on North Cedar Glen Drive in Anaheim. They hope their neighborhood will someday be a destination for families to visit during the holidays.