BIXBY, Okla. — Stephen Dunkelberg's been up on the housetop a lot lately. He's no Santa, just a neighbor creating Christmas magic.
"I always had Christmas lights on my house, and it was the only house on the street with Christmas lights, so my house was all lit up, and all the other ones were kind of dark. In my head, I just envisioned Christmas lights on every single house. It looked like a cool idea in my head, so I just rolled with it," Stephen Dunkelberg said.
And he had just the gift to make his vision happen. "I had a landscaping business. In the winter, we would hang Christmas lights all around town, so I had a bunch of extra Christmas lights and didn't have a use for them until I thought of this," said Dunkelberg.
Dunkelberg sold that business. So, he wasn't looking for marketing or money- he just wanted to spread Christmas cheer. His idea was simple: he'd supply and hang the custom-cut lights for free. He just needed his neighbors' permission.
"I asked everybody if they were okay with it because their electricity bill increases around $20 over the entire season. I also made sure nobody was against Christmas lights for religious reasons or anything like that, and everybody was fine with it," said Dunkelberg.
Neighbor Molly Garrison loved the idea.
"It's just so awesome that he has a generous heart to do this for all of our neighbors," she said.
Debbie Todoroff, another neighbor, agreed, "I was so excited because I didn't have to worry about my Dad getting up and putting up the lights, and I didn't want to do it because I'm a klutz."
Dunkelberg worked for two full weekends, stringing the whole block. In all, he completed twenty-two houses with twinkling lights.
"Kids would come out, and they'd be excited, grandparents too. Somebody brought me a blueberry muffin. Little things like that, which made it all worth it," he said.
You'll find the stretch of homes on Stadium Road between 151st and 161st off Memorial in Bixby. The lights come on every night by six.
"It's exciting. It lights up the whole street. It's inviting to come down this way, especially with the stadium down the road," he said.
Garrison's daughter Josie said, "I love it so much because it gets me into the Christmas spirit, and I just love Christmas so much!"
Dunkleberg estimates he used nearly 1700 bulbs.
"All the different colors of lights just make the street glow," said Josie Garrison.
The lights transformed the look and feel of the block and created new connections.
"Originally, it was just a picture in my head, then it turned into a community thing. I know every single neighbor now, and they're all great people," Dunkleberg said. "Every time I pull down the street, it puts a smile on my face, and some of the neighbors have said the same thing."
There's no denying Christmas is in the air now on Stadium Road. And thanks to one man's unique gift, this once-dark neighborhood is now merry and bright.
"Anything you can do to help out a neighbor or a family or a friend, think it's always going to be worth it," said Dunkelberg.
"And Santa will be able to find us, won't he?" laughs Todoroff.
This is the second year Dunkelberg has done this for his neighborhood. He plans to keep the tradition going for as long as he can. West Stadium Road is the only traffic light off Memorial Drive between 151st and 161st in Bixby. When you get close, you should be able to see the lights.
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