WESTFIELD – For 25 years, Dan Rollend has had an affinity – and flare – for Christmas lights.
When his family moved to Westfield, Rollend started dabbling with lighting his parent”s home. He was only 12, and had no idea hanging those first few strings of lights would become a lifelong labor of love.
Rollend”s lighting displays got a little bigger each year and he continued to decorate his parent”s house even after moving into his own apartment.
“I finally got shut off when their electric bill was over $300 for one month,” he said.
Today, Rollend”s own home is known around the city as Christmas on Belleview.
Rollend and his wife purchased the ranch style house on Belleview Drive a dozen years ago.
“My house warming gift from my parents was a tote filled with some of the Christmas lights I had used to decorate their house,” he said.
Rollend, of course, decorated his own home every year, and every year, his display grew bigger and brighter.
“My house has always been decorated, but what I call “The Show” has been about the past four years,” said Rollend.
The Show includes a display of about 20,000 lights – mostly LED – synchronized to about a dozen songs. Rollend said it can take 10-20 hours to casino online synchronize one song to the lights, and he spends 50 or 60 hours creating the display each year.
“I start the end of October or beginning of November and try to have it ready for Thanksgiving,” he said.
Neighbors help him hang the lights according to his vision, which he keeps in his head, not on paper. Every year while hanging lights, he gets inspired for the next year.
“I change it every year,” he said. “I try to make it different to keep people coming back, and I”m surprised that people do notice.”
This year, Christmas on Belleview became more public through social media. Rollend started a Facebook page dedicated to his display as a way to get feedback. People began sharing the page on the We Love Westfield Community Forum on Facebook and Rollend said attendance skyrocketed.
“People will come by and watch and there is nothing I enjoy more than being in my living room and hearing the sound of kids parked across the street singing along to The Show,” he said. “I love doing this for myself, but that is why I really do it.”
Rollend said his family is supportive of his holiday hobby. His wife helps out and keeps their three year-old son entertained while Rollend creates the display. Rollend said he thinks his son will definitely carry on the tradition.
“Last year he was in awe of the lights, but this year he wanted to help,” he said.
An electrician, Rollend runs The Show nightly from about 5-9 p.m., keeping The Show on a little later Friday and Saturday nights. He said he plans to keep the lights on through New Year”s weekend.
“I appreciate everyone coming out and seeing it,” said Rollend. “It”s really awesome for me – it”s not what I was expecting.”
