This dazzling home, located at 1608 Tadpole Way in Marysville, is hosting free Christmas events from 6 to 8 p.m. every Saturday. Photo courtesy of Ashley Pauling

MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - It started with a single strand of icicle lights in 2019. Ashley Pauling had confided in her soon-to-be husband, Zachariah, about her late mother’s love of Christmas and the two decided to start decorating.

“Christmas was always a really big deal for my mom. She loved the decorations,” said Pauling. “So it was kind of a way to honor my mom’s memory.”

The passing of Pauling's mother was both sudden and unexpected, having suffered a heart attack at just 58 years old. Ten days after this devastating blow, Pauling's father had a massive stroke that left him both paralyzed and unable to speak. The lights started to become both a literal and metaphorical bright spot in the family's life.

“I was dealing with a lot of trauma,” said Pauling, “I never really imagined it would become what it has but it's continued to grow each year.”

Zachariah Pauling, right, was dressed as the Grinch last year for free photos at their home located at 1608 Tadpole Way in Marysville. Photo courtesy of Ashley Pauling

Their decorating journey started while the family still lived in Sacramento. After relocating to 1608 Tadpole Way in Marysville, the Paulings wasted no time in continuing their holiday tradition. Setup started in September with a focus on purple lighting for Halloween. Once November hit, blues and whites were layered on to amplify and repurpose an already dazzling display. The home's signature piece, however, is a 1972 Chevy pickup covered in at least 10,000 lights. This truck belonged to Pauling’s father, who now lives under her care.

“The truck was always part of things,” said Pauling. “For our high school homecoming parade, he would let us tape stuff all over it. It was a float many times for homecoming, the baseball parade, stuff like that. He used to really enjoy people getting joy out of his truck, so one year we decided to start sticking lights to it.”

With the truck being made of solid metal, the Paulings found quick work by using magnets to adhere the lights. After completing the project, Pauling’s father was brought out to see the glowing new masterpiece.

“He was really down in the dumps and we wanted to kind of bring a smile to his face,” explained Pauling. “When we brought him outside, he was super happy and you could see in his eyes that he knew that that was his truck still and he was happy to see it like that and laughing at us.”

The Paulings have been decorating this home for the past three years now, however the arrival of a new baby has put them slightly behind schedule this time. Nevertheless, they decided to open a week early on Nov. 30 to try and catch all the incoming visitors over Thanksgiving weekend.

“People usually have a lot of friends and relatives coming into town so we want to give them something they could do,” said Pauling.

Pictured is a view of the Paulings’ yard in Linda during one of their free outdoor movie night events. Photo courtesy of Ashley Pauling

The Paulings frequently host free events at their house throughout the year that center around outdoor movies. Pauling has enjoyed hosting these events so much that she started asking her husband for a new concession item to use each year for her birthday. So far, her collection includes a popcorn machine, commercial hotdog steamer, cotton candy machine and snow cone maker. Last year, Zachariah Pauling dressed up as the Grinch, which struck a popular chord with the local community. Hundreds of residents were reported to have visited the home for free pictures, cocoa and cookies.

“It was nice just to see the amount of people that actually came out,” said Pauling. “We had no idea that much love for the house and the display.”

This year, instead of cookies, there will be 10 different flavors of cotton candy for visitors to choose from. Donations will also be accepted there for the Salvation Army toy drive. These free events will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. every Saturday until Christmas. While there, guests can pick up a list of other holiday light displays to visit as part of the second annual South Yuba Bright Light Battle hosted by Yuba Sutter Real Estate.

“Come enjoy our beautiful light display and meet the Grinch and take family photos with him,” added Pauling.