TOWAMENCIN – Turning the corner onto Liberty Bell Drive near Nash Elementary School, it is difficult to miss the Drelick household. Head to toe in Christmas lights and decorations of all kinds, the house is a wonderland for anyone that chooses to stop by, but it was not always this way.

Growing up, Joe Drelick’s family generally did not have Christmas lights up, and at thirteen years old, Drelick decided to change this. Starting with just one string of bells that still hangs from the current front yard castle, eventually “one set turned into 30,000,” Drelick said.

Now celebrating their 32nd year of decorating, the Drelicks have developed a menagerie of different handmade pieces throughout their yard, complete with a walking path and interactive buttons. Most of the decorations were handmade by Mr. Drelick and his family, including everything from a castle, to a church, to even a clock tower. Several of the pieces contain glass cases where moving dolls can be seen dancing and singing with the push of a button, making the house a true heaven for young kids and adults alike. Adding a personal touch, each of the Drelick’s two children has their own decoration with their name and birth date printed on it.

The logistics of setting up such an attraction take extensive planning and the Drelicks say they begin taking out, painting, and preparing things in August, and actually begin to put things up in the middle of September, in what turns out to be about an eight week process. The yard’s decorations even have their own electrical system to not disrupt the electricity within the house.

The house is definitely unique from other Christmas themed houses in the area due to both its family oriented feel and interactivity.

“There’s certainly something that is different about this house, which is the fact that it’s interactive, we have 18 push buttons throughout the yard and we invite people to get out and walk around. And to be able to come up and push a button and have things move and dance…We sit and look out the window and three year old, four year old little kids come up and push the buttons and they’re dancing and it’s magical, it really is,” commented Drelick, speaking about why they decorate the house year after year.

The Drelicks’ welcoming and family driven atmosphere truly make the house a special sight. Even as I knocked on their door one night for an interview, I was instantly welcomed inside and felt right at home at their kitchen table, and this is ultimately the Drelicks’ goal in opening their yard to the community. Having a sign-in book outside and a map of the fifty states-thirty-eight of which are currently lit up because visitors have signed in from each-the family feel of the attraction is evident everywhere.
“It really is about spreading the love and spreading it out throughout the community…People tell us how much it affects their lives and how much they enjoy it and you know, that person walks out and they go to Wawa and they hold a door for somebody, it’s incredible what it does. It’s more than just Christmas lights, it means a lot,” added Drelick.

The Drelick household on Liberty Bell Drive is certainly more than 33,000 glowing Christmas lights; it is an attraction and experience that is sure to put the entire family in the Christmas spirit.