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But while some of us will buy a few light sets and string them up outside some folks take it to whole different level! Cameraman Codie Noralez and I visited 4 families in the city last night to find out what drives folks to hyper-illuminate their homes:..

Courtney Weatherburne reporting
Reindeers, snowmen, even polar bears, you name it, you can find it right in this yard. This elaborate and grandiose display may seem a bit too much for many but According to Albert Vasquez there is no such thing as too much during his favorite time of year.

This winter wonderland is Albert Vasquez's home. What you see here is the product of 15 years of accumulation and fine tuning - building to a project of such a grand scale that it isn't just a residential back yard project, it's a virtual theme park:

He started off with this section of his house and gradually he expanded to this half.

Based on our count, Albert has well over 50 figurines and inflatable figures in total and it takes him over a week to set up.

Impressive right? But we can only imagine how 'impressive' the figure on his light bill must be. Well for Albert, the increased cost doesn't weigh on his mind at all.

It is all about spreading that Christmas spirit and "A" street resident Josefina Andrews feels the same way. But in her case, whatever the light bill may be for 80 feet of Christmas lights, her husband takes care of that.

Josefina "Chita" Andrews, A Street Resident
"He would know. I don't even see the bill, so I really don't know."

Courtney Weatherburne
"What drives you every year to make sure that your house is beautifully decorated for Christmas?"

Josefina "Chita" Andrews, A Street Resident
"Well, the family and we all get together. My son is coming tomorrow from Houston, my daughter, my son in law, my grandchildren."

Apart from family, Baymen Avenue resident Erica Morey says she decorates her house every year in memory of her husband

Courtney Weatherburne
"Has it become a tradition for you decorating your house during the Christmas season?"

Erica Morey, Baymen Avenue Resident
"Yes, it is a tradition. I've been doing it for almost 30 years. My husband and I use to love doing it you know and since he has passed away I continue doing it."

Courtney Weatherburne
"Approximately how much time does it take to decorate your entire house; hours, days?"

Erica Morey, Baymen Avenue Resident
"It takes about 4 days. I have a fellow who comes and help me and he comes one day on a weekend. We do it one weekend, we start and we do it, because we try to finish it on the 1st of December; one day every weekend. It adds hundreds of dollars more increase to your light bill. When the bill is so high, you really feels it. But you do it because it's Christmas time."

It certainly is and for the Badillo family, the thrill of decorating their homes is what they look forward to even more than Christmas morning.

Amado Badillo, Eve Street Resident
"Well it has become a tradition before. As you can see the excitement on the kids faces every single year. So this has become a part of Christmas for us. This is actually as much fun preparing for Christmas, putting up the lights and so on as Christmas Day itself. It's well worth it. Christmas like I said is really for the kids and the excitement that the lights brings to them. It's not only the kids in our family, a part of the tradition for us is other families who pass by. We have some people who have been coming by for the last 5-6 years and we know that they will come by next year as well. So, their kids are always excited. They know that every year this is one of the stops that they have to make."

Alani Smith, 10 year old niece
"We also did inside the Christmas tree and we hang up some garlands. We have been doing this for over 10 years now."

Courtney Weatherburne
"How old are you sweetheart?"

Alani Smith, 10 year old niece
"Ten."

Courtney Weatherburne
"Well you definitely enjoy every year during the Christmas season decorating two homes as well right?"

Kai Badillo, 8-year-old son
"Two homes. I always look forward to seeing the houses at night. Every night we try to come here and to see the lights and if any problem, help."

Courtney Weatherburne
"So you are definitely involve in the whole preparing for Christmas?"

Kai Badillo, 8-year-old son
"Yeah, I am very involved."

So it doesn't matter the cost, the time or patience it takes to create these enchanting displays. Beyond the labyrinth of colors and styles lies a deeper meaning and that's the genuine desire to spread good ole' Christmas cheer.

Reporting for 7news I am Courtney Weatherburne.

Historically, power consumption is less in the colder months, but BEL typically sees a spike in power consumption during December.