For 40 Years, This Harleysville Family Has Had a Blazing Good Time Decorating Its Property

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decorated house
image via abc at YouTube.
The Drelick property, dressed for the season, at 1800 Dutchmans Circle, Harleysville.

For the 40th Dec. in a row, the Drelick property in Harleysville is outfitted for the holidays. The family’s lawn set-up is unique for its interactive elements that beckon visitors from their cars. Mac Bullock plugged into the details for the Montgomery Daily Voice.

Homeowner Joseph Drelick describes its origins.

“I was 13,” he recalled. “My parents went out to a Christmas party, and I went outside and put up a set of lights and some old Christmas bells.”

From that humble beginning, however, a bigger tradition grew.

In 1990, Drelick’s father began adding larger set pieces like a North Pole castle.

Moreover, the decorations were given interactive elements — push-button triggers for movement, music, or other surprises — to deepen the experience and further spread cheer.

Currently, the display comprises 35,000 lights and interactive opportunities with a church, gingerbread house, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and even Eagles and Phillies set-ups.

Installation is a two-month task in which Drelick’s father, age 86, still participates.

“We love the fact that what we do in our front yard brings so much happiness to so many people,” Drelick said. “It’s what Christmas is all about.”

More about Harleysville’s spirited Christmas home, at 1800 Dutchmans Circle, is at the Montgomery Daily Voice.

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The Drelick family’s appearance on The Great Christmas Light Fight, which aired Dec. 7, 2015.


Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on MONTCO Today in December 2022.

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