Ellicott City Light Show Brightens Christmas Beyond Howard County

An Ellicott City residence has been delighting families with its Christmas decorations for five years—the last three of which have included lights synchronized to music.

“Many people tell us that visiting our house has become one of their favorite holiday activities,” the family wrote in an email Ellicott City Patch.

This week the Bartletts organized a special event in collaboration with the Ellicott City Volunteer Fire Department and WBAL TV in the spirit of the season. Last week, WBAL aired a story about Rem Lomat, an 8-year-old from Glen Burnie who has terminal brain cancer.

In his honor, the Bartletts turned off the lights Tuesday and waited for the Lomat family to arrive by firetruck for a special relighting of the house on Red Hill Way in Ellicott City. The event was complete with Santa and a news crew.

The idea was ”to try to not only give them a great light show but show them what being a strong community is all about!” the Bartletts posted on the Ellicott City Lights Facebook page.

Outside the house, the family set up a candy cane-like donation pole to gauge fundraising efforts for the Lomat family, which has a GoFundMe page to accept donations for the boy’s care as well; his parents are not working so they can spend time with him.

“This is what Christmas is really about!” the Bartletts said after the event, which raised hundreds of dollars for the Lomat family.

The light show has ”brought people together and brought the community together ... in a way that we never thought it would,” Bryan Bartlett told WBAL TV, adding: “...something that you think is so little can have such an impact.”

The show is at 4802 Red Hill Way in Ellicott City. It runs nightly from 5:30 to 11 p.m. until through Friday, Jan. 9, 2015.

• You can also find Ellicott City Lights on Facebook.
• The GoFundMe page for Rem Lomat is here.

Photo Credit: Bryan Bartlett