During Rodney Johnson’s childhood, his father always put up Christmas lights.

It was a tradition that Johnson, who has lived in Pocatello throughout most of his adult life, always wanted to carry on. Even as a college student, he said he strung lights up at his apartment.

It’s become an annual tradition for Johnson to illuminate his Ash Street home with colorful lights throughout each December.

“It’s kind of my gift to the neighborhood,” Johnson said. “I still believe in lighting the world.”

However, Johnson has noticed the homes on Ash Street have darkened one by one during the more than three decades in which he’s lived there.

“Definitely over the last couple years there’s been fewer and fewer lights,” he said. “And if they do, they just put a few lights out on the windows or something, and there’s even fewer and fewer of those.”

A drive through several Pocatello neighborhoods revealed that only around 10 percent of houses in the city were adorned with Christmas lights.

Even in Chubbuck, where many residents participate in a Christmas lighting competition, some houses that were known for their extravagant light displays have gone dark.

Scott Street, which has historically been known as such a hot spot for lights that it earned the moniker “Santa Claus Lane” didn’t have a single house win one of the 18 awards given by the Chubbuck Christmas Lighting Contest.

Brad Winters, the organizer of the contest, said he believed over half of the residents of Santa Claus Lane who had formerly decked their homes out for the holiday season were either too old to continue the tradition or had moved away.

According to both Winters and Johnson, one likely reason for the decline in lights could be the move toward LED lights, which save money on electric bills but sell for more than double the cost of classic lights.

“One of the problems I see with lighting these days is so many places have gone to LED lights, and they’re so expensive,” Johnson said. “I think a lot of people just can’t afford to buy the new lights.”

According to a manager at the Pocatello Lowe’s, many stores that sell Christmas lights have been forced to switch over to LED lights because manufacturers are making fewer classic lights.

The city of Pocatello made the switch to LED lights in its Christmas displays about five years ago, according to parks supervisor Mike Williams.

Williams said the electricity cost of classic lights quickly became extremely expensive, necessitating the need to switch to the more power-effective LED lights.

The difference in up-front costs, however, meant that it took the city two years to make the switch, as it would have been too expensive to buy all the LED lights needed in one go. But Williams said the switch ended up saving the city money for a variety of reasons.

“They also are a lot easier to take care of, and they last a lot longer,” he said. “So in the long run, they saved us money.”

However, many homeowners may not be playing the long game. Particularly for young, new homeowners, the high upfront costs of LED lights could be a deterrent.

Johnson said that though he tries to buy most of his lights and decorations during after Christmas clearance sales, the overall cost of his light display, including his lawn decorations, is likely “thousands and thousands of dollars.”

“I probably add $200 to $200 (worth of decorations) every year,” he said. “But it gives me joy to do it, so it’s worth it to me.”

Winters said another possible explanation for the seeming lack of lights is a move toward light shows, which involve lights that are synchronized to music.

Due to the extra effort and cost of shows, Winters said there could be fewer lights overall.

“I’ve noticed a lot more light shows around town,” he said. “People who used to do the more extravagant displays may be moving toward more of a show.”

However, Johnson said he plans to continue his light display, and continue expanding the display for as long as possible.

“It’s a tradition that my father started, and I want to carry on that tradition and give to the community,” he said. “And hopefully people find joy from it.”