I must either be the Grinch or just becoming an ornery old man. Last week we crossed over the Delaware River to hit the over-priced-but-I-like-it new Wegman's in Yardley, Pa. Not only is it pricey but it also costs us $1.50 to cross into Pennsylvania at the Scudder's Falls Bridge (295). With Christmas coming it's time for Shady Brook Farms to open up their annual Holiday Light Show which draws tens of thousands, some say near 100,000, of people through the drive around light show. It's estimated that there's between 3-4 million lights on display.
While it's a privately owned business including a farm, nursery, cafe, and general store, it's a place you don't have to go to unless you want to. They can charge whatever they want, and they do. And that's when I get my annual Grinch on.
We've done the drive when we first came out to Mercer from Monmouth County eight years ago. It's fun after a bite with the piped in music that you can hear from your cars radio. Depending on the day there's usually pretty long lines especially as the calendar inches closer to Christmas.
So now what's my beef? Well, what gets me, as usual, is the cost. Let's say we go light and say 50,000 cars pass through the exhibit. At $50 a carload that's $2,500,000. As you inch closer to the 100,000 mark then you're looking towards $5,000,000. Add on that hot coco and alcohol at the fire pits outside of the store and the revenue increases. But good for them.
It's generally $50 a carload but that can go higher if you don't pre-order your tickets online. If you do pre-purchase then you'll be hit with that service fee like we see yearly at The Fly Fishing Show. If you look above you'll see the warning - "Pro Tip - Buy your tickets online for the best price. Admission is $10 more at the gate". I didn't know you had to be a "Pro" when it comes to taking the family to a festive family outing.
When we lived in Monmouth County the old Garden state Arts Center in Holmdel, now the PNC Arts Center, held the "Magic of Lights" every Christmas season. This one boasts 1,000,000 lights in various displays along the route. One funny thing, now as a parent or an old foggie, is remembering as you drive around the roads and parking lots is how many tailgates did you get blasted out when you attended concerts there when you were young.
This show is owned and operated by Family Entertainment Holdings, LLC. which is part of the larger Family Entertainment Group. They hail from Ohio with another office in Illinois. In addition to the light displays they run they're known for their Monster Truck and Hot Wheels related shows. They're in the business to make magic and memories, and money as well.
If you think the "Magic of Lights" is a Jersey thing, think again. FEH runs these things around the country and across our northern border in Canada. One thing is if you think they gouge the
Jersey folks with the admission price then think again, I checked, they're all pretty much priced the same, although there's different price for different types of venues.
There's other Christmas and Holiday light shows out there as well. In East Brunswick there's Winter Wonderlights which boasts a 2 million light drive through display. To hit that one you'll also need to fork over at least a couple of twentys if you want to load up the car and drive through.
They claim on their website it's "New Jersey's largest animated light show drive through". But caution, don't be totally fooled by the above pic, those lights in the distance are coming from Route 1. They'll get you for about the same amount as the other light displays, depending on the day or week that you go.
If you don't want to get sucked into the quagmire of tourist trap light shows you can save yourself a couple of dollars and do as we did when I was growing up. My Mom would load up my little sister and brother and me and go hunting for Christmas decorations on private homes either around Millstone, where I grew up early, or Red Bank, where I grew up late. That would come after a meal at either Mr, Steak, Ground Round, or Friendly's, which were staples when I was growing up. Remember those "Pay What you Weigh" specials when we were growing up? Forget about those these days.
If you live near Pittman, New Jersey, down in Burlington ton County, you can swing by the private home of Michael McCarty and Lyle Williams and check out this years "Frostland Village". They were the winners of the 2024 "The Great Christmas Light Fight" which was run by ABC.
There are other light shows and private houses you can visit this season to enlighten your ice cold Grinchy heart. Yes, the kiddies love the lights, but to honest I have more fond memories driving around from town to town singing Christmas carols with my family eating cookies and drinking hot chocolate that came from an old Thermos my Mom brought along. And if you want to try something different, as far as memories are concerned, try doing it on the cheap. No need for Pazzo in Red Bank, or The Avenue in Long Branch, or Erini's in Ewing, or the Logan Inn in New Hope to get you into the spirit. You'll drop $400 there and then another $50 for the drive through lights, plus a stop at the shops.
Or you could just load up that old family station wagon and hit your local Denny's or Friendly's for a bite before heading out and searching for your own Christmas fun. If you don't own a Thermos you can make a pit stop at WaWa where you can use your Rewards Card to save a few bucks on coffee or hot chocolate for the gang. For desert grab a bin of cookies from Costco beforehand or splurge for some Flying Saucers from Carvel. Just good old fashion free fun. Good like with that because that plan I'm sure will go over like a fart in church with the wife, or the husband.