In Arroyo Grande, down Starlight Lane, there lies a 20 year lasting winter wonderland. Since 2005, Shaun Blephen has created a unique Christmas experience, setting up various decorations that all follow to the carols of 106.9 fm, his own radio station.
Shaun started this winter wonderland back in 2005 after freshly moving from Grover Beach to Arroyo Grande. His reason for decorating started simple, being his wife and daughter, but soon turned into something bigger.
”The first time [I set up lights at my house in AG] I got a vanilla envelope where I got third place in the decorating contest, and it upset me because I lost twice and I didn’t know it was a contest,” Blephen said. “After two or three years we started getting first place a lot.”
Blephen’s award was well deserved, as his decor stood out from those around him.
“It’s just different from many others, ” Blephen said. “There’s not many who have synchronized lighting to music.”
The key part of his wonderland is the radio station which is synced up to his decorations.
“At first we had an mp3 player but the signal was awful, garbled, and you could barely hear the music because the antenna was inside my [truck].”
Blephen then went searching for a way to make his idea succeed.
“There was a group forum about purchasing a transmitter from Australia,” Blephen said. “The signal was good enough to reach everywhere on the street.”
Blephen’s success in creating his unique display led to awards year after year.
“In 2011 we won best overall, and the next year we got another ribbon [for first place],” Blephen said. “When the gal from the parks and rec came up to give us the ribbon I said, ‘Give it to somebody else, get somebody else more excited to decorate their house.’”
After multiple years of awards, Blephen’s motivation changed from winning the competition to bettering his community.
“People started putting money on our porch for the lights,” Blephen said. “Which is why we put a donation box up.”
His community’s appreciation for his lights, and the money he was receiving, created a motivation for Blephen to give back to his community.
“First we started [donating] with Big Brothers Big Sisters because our neighbor’s son went through the program,” Blephen said.
Eventually, after the sad passing of his dog, Murphy, Blephen switched the donation center to the Woods Humane Society.
“We [started with] $750 a year with Big Brother to Big Sister,” Blephen said. “When we switched to the [Woods Humane Society] it turned out to be $1200.”
Over time the donations began to taper down as the Parks and Recreation competition ended.
“For a period of time there were a lot others [putting] the same [amount of effort] and then they faded away,” Blephen said.
While donations and fame may not be a motivation anymore, Blephen still perseveres, setting up his wonderland every year. His motivation lies in what some may call the Christmas spirit.
“In [setting up my decorations] it might just give someone a place to go to get away from the worries we have,” Blephen said. “We have friends we have now that we didn’t have before.”
Blephen has seen the lasting effect of his dedication on people both young and old.
“There was a young lady who came to our house, [who said] she’s been coming here since she was five, and she’s 20 something years old now,” Blephen said. “So we’ve got my daughter’s friends bringing their kids to our house now.”
As time persists, the tens of thousands of lights become harder and harder to set up. While Blephen may not continue this tradition much longer, his effect on the community will continue to last in the memories of both him and the community.
