That’s because the local couple, who have hosted one of the Valley’s most popular and extravagant Christmas displays for 35-plus years, have scaled things back considerably.
Gone are the giant inflatables, snow machines and windows filled with ornaments and miniature villages. Instead, the Sepanek’s home — which is located near 44th Street and Camelback Road — features a modest collection of only 10,000 LEDs and a few illuminated reindeer.
Why did the couple decide to downsize this year? It's primarily because of financial and health reasons, they say.
Lee Sepanek, who’s also known by the nickname “Christmas Lee,” says the costs of renting boom lifts and other equipment has gotten more expensive this year, totaling more than $12,000.
“It wasn’t an easy decision, but with the economy and inflation, the rental costs have just gotten ridiculously high,” he says.
Another factor was the fact his health issues have also increased in recent years.
“I’m in my 70s and get fatigued easily, so it was more of a challenge putting things together this year,” Lee says.
A history of holiday revelry
The Sepanek’s home has been a go-to destination for locals during the Christmas season for decades. Prior to its downsizing this year, the couple’s display featured a sea of lights wrapping their enormous property and winding through a canopy of eucalyptus trees. Overhead, a flotilla or reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh hung between trees while a garden in the front yard was populated by animatronic Victorian-style carolers. One of the highlights of the display was multiple window displays filled with snow-covered dioramas, projection screens showing holiday movies or endless amounts of vibrant ornaments.
They also served free cups of hot cocoa, which Lee says is one of their most popular attractions.
The Sepaneks have been dressing up their home for the holidays in the 1970s, but didn’t start featuring a “ridiculously large” amount of decorations until the mid-’80s.
“We started it was because my kids were little and they really enjoyed Christmas, but I never thought things would get this big,” Lee Sepanek says.
Their display grew larger over the decades as the family added more lights and decorations. The crowds coming to see their holiday revelry have also grown over the years, as tens of thousands of people visit each year.
The Sepaneks have operated nearly every year except for 2017, when complaints from their neighbors and intervention by the city of Phoenix caused the display to go dark. (The issues were resolved by the following year.)
In 2021, the Sepaneks were featured in an episode of ABC’s popular reality competition show “The Great Christmas Light Fight,” which awards $50,000 and a trophy to the best holiday displays in the U.S. The couple didn’t win, but Lee says it was “really fun being on television.”
Downsizing their display
Lee Sepanek says he opted for a smaller display this year because he still wanted to celebrate the holiday, albeit in a more subdued fashion.“I wasn’t going to go dark. Where’s the fun in that? So I put some reindeer in our yard and put up some lights,” Lee says. “I didn't want to go too far. So no dioramas and no hot cocoa either. Sorry, folks."
He also used some of his collection of lights to decorate two neighboring houses.
“I wanted our street corner to still be lit up every night,” Lee says. “It's just a normal amount of lights. Of course, some people think only having a thousand lights is normal.”
Lee says he understands if “a lot of people are disappointed” his display won’t be as much of a holiday spectacle this year. He’s open to bringing it back next year, though, under the right circumstances.
“I feel really bad, but it is what it is,” he says. “As for next year, who knows? I'm going to see if I can get a rental equipment sponsor, and if my health improves, we'll probably be back at it again.”
