WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — What started as a simple family tradition has turned into a must-see holiday destination in Winter Haven.
Santa’s House by the Bigda’s, is a handcrafted holiday display that’s been lighting up the season since 1983.
“I always wanted to do something to make people happy. So, I started doing wooden cutouts. My son was born on New Year’s Eve in ‘82 and he wouldn’t sleep through the night, so that’s how I started. I had to have something to do,” said Bill Bigda.
For more than four decades, the Bigda family has built and expanded the holiday display, led by Bill. Every character you see, from classic favorites like Snoopy to newer additions like Toy Story, is handmade, painted, and designed by him. Many of the characters even move.
“Everything is made by hand. We buy motors and lights. We build everything,” Bill said.
Adding to the magic are more than 100,000 Christmas lights filling the yard. The lights are computer-controlled and synced to holiday music you can hear on your car radio.
“We get a couple hundred cars if not a thousand cars a night,” Tony Bigda said.
Many people visiting the display said it has become part of their family's yearly holiday traditions.
“The music and the lights, it’s just exciting and enjoyable,” said Wyatt Gorman.
In 2020, the Bigda’s hard work earned national recognition when they won ABC's The Great Christmas Light Fight. But for the family, it’s always been about giving back. The display is free to the public, with donations benefiting the Polk County Sheriff’s Charities.
“We keeping doing it because of the joy of the children and the community that come out to see it. There's not really anything like this that they can go see close to here and it’s free,” Tony said.
Santa’s House by the Bigda’s is open nightly through New Year’s Eve, starting at 6 p.m.
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