Most nights, cars start pulling into Parapet Court while it’s still light out, arranging themselves into a line along the back of the cul-de-sac like they’re parking at a drive-in theater. In just a few minutes, the first show of the evening will start.
For nearly 30 years, Roger and Sally DeBolt have turned their home and front yard at 6211 Parapet Court off of Pierce Park Lane into an extravagant holiday light display that draws crowds of onlookers all through December. Every evening at 5:30 p.m., the 60,000 RGB light nodes illuminate, and colors begin to flicker across the display, which includes a massive metal Christmas tree, a 6-foot-tall dancing snowman, a realistic Santa Claus in the front window and three cheeky animatronic elves that pop up from gift boxes between songs to tell holiday-themed jokes.
The half-hour show features four or five Christmas songs, each with a unique synchronized light sequence, that onlookers listen to on the radio station the DeBolts broadcast to from a low-frequency transmitter inside their house. The same set of songs will repeat in a single night, but Roger has roughly 30 songs he mixes and matches to make different nightly sets.
The display takes countless hours to program, not to mention the weeks the DeBolts spend setting up the lights and props (they typically start around September) — and the money spent on upkeep, new props and, of course, their power bill. (Roger said it increases only about $100 in December, but they had their home rewired years ago after the display kept blowing fuses.)
“I work on the show year round,” Roger said in an interview. “I’m always thinking of new ideas and things to do. I change the show every year. There’s a lot that goes into it — this is not just ‘throw it up and go.’”
But to Roger, it’s worth every hour and every penny.
“I love Christmas, and I love seeing kids smile and dance and sing,” he said. “I just love putting a smile on people’s faces, if I can do that.”
Roger and Sally Debolt host a massive yearly Christmas light display Ñ 60,000 nodes, he says Ñ synced to music, which they use to solicit donations for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Katherine Jones kjones@idahostatesman.com
Boise Christmas light display brings cheer, draws donations
The DeBolts’ display may change every year, but the spirit is always the same. First and foremost, Roger said, his lights are a way to spread the story of the birth of Jesus, as well as some good cheer.
“Christmas, to me, is about the birth of Jesus,” he said. “That’s why we celebrate Christmas.”
Roger has always loved the season, and even after toiling at the display all year, he still finds magic in the animated light show.
“It’s a magical time of the year,” he said. “It’s a time where people can always find a way to smile. I love seeing little kids’ eyes light up ... and I love the lights myself. I can sit out here every night and watch the lights all night long.”
But Roger also remembers some years that were lean on holiday spirit when he was growing up.
“There were a couple of years that we wouldn’t have had Christmas if it weren’t for Toys for Tots because my mom was divorced,” he said. “We didn’t have anything. She was out of work. We weren’t homeless, but you know, we didn’t have a lot of money.”
When he started the Parapet Court light display in 1991, he began collecting toys for the organization that had, at times, saved Christmas for his family. But he soon realized the timing wasn’t working — Toys for Tots needed donations early in the month to deliver to children by Christmas, but the DeBolts’ display typically is not up till the start of December. The couple still wanted to find a way to brighten others’ holidays, so they began partnering with Make-A-Wish more than a decade ago. Over the years, they’ve collected thousands of dollars in donations for the nonprofit, which grants wishes for children with critical illnesses.
In Boise, the lights are a staple for neighbors, who the DeBolts say have graciously handled the traffic and spectacle over the years, and for onlookers. On weekend nights when traffic is especially busy, Sally and Roger will go out and direct cars as they park or exit the cul-de-sac. Last week, Roger helped jump-start two vehicles whose batteries had died.
Watching the light show has become a tradition for some families, and as it has grown in popularity, at times there are cars waiting an hour for their turn to park at the end of the cul-de-sac. Often, families will walk along the sidewalk to view the lights up close or approach the Make-A-Wish donation box near the garage. Sometimes they knock on the door to compliment the DeBolts.
“People are always saying, ‘hey, this is fantastic,’ ‘this is the best,’ ‘I can’t believe you do this,’ ‘thank you,’” Roger said.
“(People say) ‘I’ve been bringing my kids since they were 5 or 6 and now’ — since we’ve been doing it for so long — ‘they’re bringing their kids,’” Sally added. “It’s been around for a long time. It’s a generation, so it’s pretty cool.”
The impact of the DeBolt display has radiated far beyond Boise. In creating the light show, Roger has found a “Christmas community,” much of it virtual. He attends weekly Zoom meetings and chats with other Christmas light aficionados in online forums. One friend he met through the community voiced the spots in the DeBolts’ radio show. Another friend creates sequences (patterns of lights) that Roger then spends hours fine-tuning to fit his display.
The lights even got them noticed by ABC. In 2019, the DeBolts spent four days filming at their home with a crew from “The Great Christmas Light Fight,” a show that features four displays each episode, with hosts choosing a winner at the end to receive $50,000 and a trophy. The DeBolts didn’t win their episode, which aired Dec. 9, but Roger and Sally said the experience was exceptional.
The Christmas light display at the Debolt house runs in a half-hour show from 5:30 to 10 p.m., or 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, until Jan. 2. Katherine Jones kjones@idahostatesman.com
Through challenges of cancer, COVID-19, lights remain a bright spot
In 2018, doctors diagnosed a rare form of lymphoma in Roger. He underwent months of chemotherapy. Shortly before he was set to receive a bone marrow transplant in 2019 to fight off the disease, doctors diagnosed breast cancer in Sally. It was an especially trying time for the DeBolts, but Roger said focusing on lights during his treatment helped him stay busy and took his mind off the illnesses.
Sally’s cancer was successfully eradicated, and Roger is in remission, but he said his cancer likely will return at some point. In the meantime, the experience has been a motivator to do what makes him happy.
“I’m not going to stop doing the lights or living my life because I have cancer,” Roger said.
He expects to carry on the Christmas light tradition for at least a few more years, and he said he’s happy to bring some cheer this year as stresses from the coronavirus pandemic and other challenges pile up.
“This year is different because of COVID-19,” he said. “People are really having a hard time, and this is a different world we live in right now. So if we can put a smile on people’s faces during these tough times, these uncertain times, then I’ll do it.
“If somebody can enjoy themselves, if they can come watch this show and forget about their problems for a half hour, I’ve succeeded,”
If you go
What: The DeBolts’ Christmas in Boise light show, featuring thousands of dancing lights set to a different musical selection each night.
Where: 6211 W. Parapet Court, Boise, ID, 83703
When: Shows start at the top and bottom of every hour beginning at 5:30 p.m., with the last show from 9:30 to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays. On Fridays and Saturdays, the last show runs from 10:30 to 11 p.m. This year, the light show will run through Jan. 2.
Approach the back of the cul-de-sac slowly, as there are often other vehicles parked watching the show with their headlights off. Tune your radio to 95.3 FM to hear the synchronized radio show. While parked, turn off your headlights and avoid blocking other vehicles or neighbors’ driveways.
This story was originally published December 24, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
Nicole Blanchard is part of the Idaho Statesman’s investigative and watchdog reporting teams. She also covers Idaho Outdoors and frequents the trails around Idaho. Nicole grew up in Idaho, graduated from Idaho State University and Northwestern University with a master’s degree in journalism.Support my work with a digital subscription
