The Maddux family has turned its love for Christmas lights into a spectacular show to impress the community and help the hungry.  After winning the Grand Champion of the Santa Clarita Christmas Light Tour prize and preparing all year, the family is almost ready to unveil their latest illumination.

Starting Dec. 2, the light show, with about 40,000 lights on the house set to music, will play every 15 minutes from 5:30-9:45 p.m.  Guests are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to donate to “Help the Children,” a humanitarian relief organization that provides food, clothing, personal hygiene items, medical supplies and medical equipment to needy children and their families in the United States and around the world.

“Last year, we probably filled up at least six shopping cart-fulls of food,” said Joshua Maddux, hoping that this year they would collect as much or more.

Maddux, with a background in web design and graphic design, works with his family year-round to plan, prepare, and design the Christmas light display.

“The going joke for a while was ‘How many nights can we get without talking about Christmas lights at the dining room table?’” said Maddux.

The Maddux family has been putting up lights for this year’s display since Halloween weekend.  New additions this year will include a full-colored tree and a wireless system.  For those interested in the technical side of things, the Maddux’s light display requires over 300 computer control channels.  Guests will be able to watch the light show, and enjoy the accompanying music, through a short wave radio station played in their cars.

To see the impressive light display, head over to the Maddux house at 19121 Dalton St., off of Whispering Leaves Drive in Newhall.  Don’t forget to bring some canned goods.