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Pennsylvania man remembers late son with Christmas display

YORK, Pa. (WHTM) – A Pennsylvania man has four acres of Christmas decorations at his home, and more than a mile of underground lines feed his massive display.

His collection of lights, inflatable decorations, and handmade wooden displays all serve a special purpose this year.

Don Webb works on his display year round, in addition to putting in three solid weeks of eight-hour days to get it ready. His drive-through Christmas display is all the rage in York County. Webb started it 25 years ago with his son Seth.

“The Christmas display actually started for my son. I went through a divorce when he was 10 years old,” Webb said. “I just took him to the workshop that first year and said, ‘I’m going to do something that you’ll never ever forget your father for.’ “

Webb helped to raise his son while working for more than two decades as a K-9 officer for the York Area Regional Police Department, but everything in his life changed this October.

“This past October 22nd, my son died from injuries in a car crash. Now I’ve dedicated the display to his memory, and in turn, now I get memories of him from the display,” Webb said.

Webb put up thousands of lights, a reflection of Santa in the window, and the decorations he made with his son. He didn’t know if he had the strength to continue doing it without him.

“I looked at my wife and I said, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to handle Christmas.’ She took me to the side and gave me a pretty good pep talk and said, ‘You know, he’d still expect to see those lights,’” Webb said.

Now those in need benefit from the display. It doesn’t cost anything to see it, but you can donate money and canned food for Emmanuel’s Closet, a food pantry for people in Red Lion, Dallastown, and Yoe.

“It’s so neat to see little kids coming through because they’re so excited,” Webb said. “I’ll get stories back when the kids run back in the house and say, ‘We were at Santa Claus’ house!’ The nursing homes go and have their little mini buses. They’re bringing people through, the twinkle in their eyes is just as good as good as a small child’s eyes.”

The twinkle Webb sees in other eyes is the same twinkle he saw in his son’s eyes 25 years ago, and he hopes his display will keep the memory of Seth alive for years to come.