Clifton Home a Winter Wonderland

Hundreds of thousands of lights wrapped around trees twinkle to the melody of ‘Silent Night’ on the grounds of a Clifton home.

Families park their cars to watch and listen to the show, coming out to take some photos. A chorus 'oohs' and 'ahhs' can be heard from clusters of visitors.

For the last five years, the Chahine family has turned their home on 13915 Rock Brook Ct. in Clifton into the winter wonderland that Fairfax County residents travel from far and wide to see.

“It takes a long time to prepare, but it pays off,” Tony Chahine, 47, said.

Chahine, owner of Salon Antoine and Spa in Fairfax, started out decorating his home to delight his son, Andrew, who is now 5 years old. The display began modestly but gradually grew into a full-on spectacle with a light and song sequence visitors can listen to from their car radios.

“Each light and song sequence is about 11 to 12 minutes long,” Chahine said. “It takes about 5 hours to prepare just a minute for each show.” 

Chahine begins putting up the lights at the end of October. A friend who owns local home theater installation company, iHome Integration in Burke, donates his time to help Chahine with the technical aspects of sequencing the lights and music.

Chahine’s electricity bill triples from Nov. 24 through Jan. 6, when the show is on display. Chahine’s wife, Lynn, said that the family welcomes visitors to drop by and see the show. When school holidays begin, the family has to call in police to direct traffic on their block to the home near the end of a cul-de-sac.

“My son invites people to our house all the time,” Lynn Chahine said.

In recent years, the family has also asked those who visit to donate food for the needy. Several bins placed in front of the house serve as a food drop off point for the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington. By Dec. 8, several tubs of food had already been collected.

“We love Christmas and it’s great to do this for a good cause,” Tony Chahine said.

The Chahine home is located at 13915 Rock Brook Court in Clifton. Light shows begin every hour and half hour from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. from now until Jan. 6. Tune in to 89.1 in  front of the home to listen to the show. Food and other donations can be left in the bin in front of the home.