Glen Allen’s local holiday celebrities: Christmas on Wendhurst

One of the greatest parts of the holiday season is Christmas light displays outside local homes. One house in particular, 9716 Wendhurst Dr, became a local institution and a national household name for its elaborate display.

Going on 26 years, the elaborate Christmas light display at Al and Esther Thompson’s home continues to shine bigger and brighter. 

What started as one strand of lights wrapped around their bushes grew to over 200,000 lights in 2024.

While Christmas lights alone are an extravagant display, the Thompsons also make all of their figures, statues, and other decorations by hand—all 2,500 of them. 

If you look closely, you’ll notice that many of the decorations have fun facts, scavenger hunts, games, and other interactive activities to keep their thousands of visitors entertained.

Christmas on Wendhust’s display spans three houses, and takes two-and-a-half months to complete. It consists of four breaker boxes, 1,000+ extension cords, and much more to keep the magic running from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve.

The Thompsons’ work is widely acclaimed, and not just in the area: Coverage by CNN, USA Today, NPR, NBC Nightly News, and more encourage visits to the Glen Allen location. 

One of the top moments from the display happened when Christmas on Wendhurst became the winner of ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight.

Christmas light enthusiasts travel from all across the country just to catch a glimpse of Wendhurst’s holiday display, and with two decades under their belt, Al and Esther show no signs of stopping. 

To learn more about Christmas on Wendhurst, visit the display’s website.