Anyone who knows me, knows that Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. My husband is such a trooper each year as I beg him to drive around the entire DC Metro area (yep - all 3 states!) to look at neighborhood Christmas lights.
One year, after visiting his sister in Herndon, we saw the bright glow while we were driving home on Route 7. I shouted at him to u-turn. As we made the turn from Reston Parkway onto Fieldview Drive, I realized we had discovered one of the most breathtaking and magical Christmas neighborhood displays in our area.
Ever since, we have been returning year after year to view the lights. Each year, the homeowners have added more to the display.
The corner of Stones Throw Drive, is the most impressive neighborhood display of over 250,000 warm white holiday lights perfectly outlining the windows and roof line and covering every tree in the front and back yards.
The house is adorned in beautiful wreaths and garlands and even those are lit with lights. Three beautiful indoor Christmas trees can be seen through the side windows, along with an adorable snowman display in the 2nd story picture window. There is a nativity set in the front yard and even Santa and his reindeer have landed at their home ;)
This year, we had the pleasure of meeting the Homeowner, Samar Coury. She was kind enough to stop and chat with us. She was so friendly and even invited us inside! She said she loves Christmas and has Christmas parties every night while the house is decorated. She told us that the inside of her home is decorated even better than the outside. But it was past 10pm and she was walking her precious little white dog for the night, so we politely declined her invitation. In hindsight, I fully regret having not gone inside. I'm sure it must be beautifully decorated!
My husband joked that he'd hate to see her electric bill and she laughed and said "oh, it's not bad now that we switched to LED's".
In recent years, the homeowners have leveraged the popularity of their display to raise funds for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. They have reached their goal of $25,000 each year since starting this tradition in 2012.
"I love Christmas. It's my favorite time of the year" Coury wrote on her fundraising page from 2013. Me too, Samar! We definitely have that in common!
"For the past 50 Years, I have had a great passion for decorating my home with the most spectacular light display. Each year my house gets better and better. I currently have on display over 200,000 LED warm white lights, a life size nativity scene, Santa Claus with reindeer, and many other great traditional Figures." "This year I have decided to do something very special for the children of St. Jude. I want to make a difference for all of the children who are suffering with cancer. I decided to raise funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. I would love your help. This amazing hospital has changed the way the world treats pediatric cancer and other deadly diseases. And no family pays for any services at St Jude's."
To donate, text "LIFE" to 50333.
Several other houses in the neighborhood join in the fun. On some nights there is a hot cocoa stand further down the street - proceeds are also donated to St. Jude's Children's hospital.
Unfortunately, we discovered that this is the last year to view the incredible Christmas light display, so be sure to visit before they take them down after the first of the New Year!
The Coury's are now empty-nesters and they are downsizing to a smaller house nearby. Samar told us that she hopes that the new homeowner's will continue the tradition, but most of their decorations will be passed down to her daughter, who also resides in Virginia. Hopefully, she will continue the tradition for our viewing.
I regret not going inside. As you will see from the video below, taken from the fundraising site, I missed the most amazing Christmas home decor :(
We will surely miss the dazzling display, but we can continue the tradition of counting our blessings and giving to those less fortunate each Holiday season.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
xo,
Meredith