People come from as far as 100 miles away to see it; generations show new generations, and entire families devote a cold late November or December night to it each year.

It’s the same-old, same-old for one of the Four State’s most breathtaking Christmas light display, located at 1900 Grand Ave. And that’s the way Carthage residents prefer it.

Members of the Congregation of the Mother Co-Redemptrix piece together the Christmas lights around their metal stands, each representing a various Christian Biblical story. 

This year is no exception.

Workers are putting up the lights and, like it is every year, things open up at dusk on Thanksgiving night and lasts through Christmas. 

Not all the lights will be up, however, according to Father John Toan with the CMC. 

“We don’t have as many people working on it this year — some are going to school or aren’t here — so the crews are down to two or three men… we’re putting up as much lights as possible.”

The full light display should be glowing strongly about two weeks after Thanksgiving, Father John said. 

Workers have been going strong for nearly two months now, he said.

“The location may be a bit different or in another location,” but he said they’re pretty good at this thing.

There are more than a million lights scattered throughout the grounds, most of them distributed atop hundreds of metal displays or strung through trees. There are nearly 20,000 lights in the famous lit tunnel alone. New displays introduced last year included a Tree of Life, “fire” in the sky and lights inside trees. 

There are usually 500 cars a night.

The light display, he said, is a gift to the people of Carthage, a thank-you to the community for welcoming the congregation inside their city limits. 

The drive-through light display contains many images and references from both the Old and New Testaments, including fan favorites: David and Goliath and Jonah and the whale. 

The display will be open from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Admission is free, though donations are accepted.

For more information about these unique lights, call 358-7787.