The rain is expected to clear out on Friday, just in time for families to check out Christmas lights across North Texas!
They say everything is bigger in Texas – and so are some of the displays being seen in people's yards.
A house on Palermo Way in McKinney is getting a lot of attention for being one of the biggest displays in North Texas.
In fact, it has reached Griswold status because the home is now a finalist in a national competition judging the best holiday displays in America.
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The home belongs to Mark Cornetti and Nasheel Joules, who started their holiday displays back in 2012 to celebrate their first year of marriage.
Affectionately called the Gift of Light, the holiday display has grown every year. And there’s a deeper meaning behind why the couple puts together such an impressive show of Christmas for their community.
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Nasheel has been battling a rare autoimmune disease, which has triggered stage-three heart failure in her body.
“I have a one in 1 million person disease called CAPS. Cryopyrin Associated Periodic Syndrome – and a lot of its symptoms are triggered by cold temperatures,” Nasheel shared. “A lot of the things that people go out and enjoy doing during Christmas, I really couldn't do because I'd feel miserable afterward.”
So the couple decided to create their own winter wonderland at their own home. Nasheel, who is also an internal Medicine physician, has since expanded the mission to also raise awareness for rare diseases and fundraise for the American Heart Association.
“As the years went on, it became more about doing it for others and less about doing it for me or ourselves. We just love seeing how happy it makes everybody,” said Nasheel.
Click here to read more about her health journey and contribute to the fundraiser.
This year, Nasheel experienced a major health scare that pushed the couple to live in the moment this holiday.
“Through all the struggles our love has become very close. This year, she actually had a real struggle with the heart failure. And she was close to dying,” said Mark. “So this year, we wanted to do something special [for Christmas]. And so we went big. We didn't back off, we just went bigger.”
Besides the massive display of lights, there’s a special gazebo with a velvet chair for Santa Claus to pose for pictures with families. The Grinch is even coming out next week. There’s also a prayer box for people to drop off prayer requests, which has already accumulated hundreds of messages from the community.
"We really want to spread the message of – no matter what difficulties you have going on, you need to hold on to hope and God's love,” said Nasheel. “And even in the hard times, there will always be blessings. There will always be these moments of joy. And that's how you keep yourself going. You’ve got to keep fighting.”
If you want to see the Gift of Light in person, just come to Palermo way in McKinney once the sun goes down. Prepare for traffic, both by vehicle and on foot.
There’s no rush if you can’t make it out before Christmas. The couple plans to keep the lights up through January 1.
To follow updates and the visitation schedule for Santa and the Grinch, click here for the official Facebook page.
