Abingdon Lights: A Family Tradition That Started As A Challenge

ABINGDON, MD — Abingdon Lights is back for 12th year. The display on Laurel View Drive is set to holiday music, tucked in a neighborhood with a slew of lit-up homes for your viewing pleasure.

The creators, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the way it began was "a bit of a funny story."

It was the year the couple moved into the house, and there was a commercial on TV that featured a light display synchronized to music.

"My wife looked at me and said something like, 'You're not a real electrical engineer if you can't do something like that,'" said the future light show creator, who has an electrical engineering degree from Purdue University.

"I took that statement as a challenge," he said. "We had our first display in 2007, and it grew from there. We never expected that it would become so popular."

In the years since, families have shared that driving by Abingdon Lights has become a tradition.

On the Abingdon Lights Facebook page, one person said her family goes by three times a week.

The display is a "really nice show without being over the top," another wrote.

The feedback is part of what has kept the lights on over the years.

"We continue to do the display every year since we regularly receive messages on how the display is part of the holiday tradition for families in the area," the Abingdon Lights creators told Patch. "We have also received handwritten cards from children thanking us for putting on the display. Therefore, we do not want to disappoint our fans."

Bel Air Patch stopped by at the end of November and was not disappointed in the least, and found there are several homes in the neighborhood also worth seeing that are decorated for the season.

If you go to Abingdon Lights, be sure not to block driveways or the street. Patch recommends turning your lights off for the show. To listen to the music synchronized with the display, tune your radio to 93.5 FM.

Abingdon Lights

Where: 3112 Laurel View Dr, Abingdon

When: 5:30-10 p.m. daily until Monday, Dec. 31 (unless there is bad weather)

Listen: 93.5 FM

Facebook: Abingdon Lights

Photos by Elizabeth Janney.