EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A local dad decorated his home with lights and decorations to give his family and neighbors a happy Halloween, despite the trick-or-treat restrictions.
Rick Carrillo is a registered nurse during the day and a light show expert when the sun goes down.
He started his hobby in 2018 to make his daughter’s first Christmas extra special.
“Anything to brighten up [the children’s] days, bring a little more normalcy to their lives, especially this year,” explained Carrillo on why he decided on the light show.
He said Halloween is usually his trial period before December, but he is happy to give his community a little joy for Halloween this year.
His wife Stephanie said they all participate in creating the show, giving him advice on music and lighting.
Carrillo built a custom light setup for his house that he is now able to put up in two hours, but he said picking out music, creating video content and synchronizing the lights takes him 50 to 100 hours.
He created several spooky light show sequences and said he usually uses Disney movies as inspiration. He hopes to see El Pasoans drive by his house with a smile under their masks.
“I want to spread that kind of magic, that kind of emotion, that kind of feeling, the way that I feel when I watch a show like this,” said Carrillo.
He said he uses every free moment to work on new light shows for his daughter and his newborn son to make their holidays unforgettable.
He will soon be releasing dates when you can drive by and see the shows on his “Rae of Light” Facebook page.