When summer transitions into fall, Revo Williams shifts into full Christmas mode, commencing work on an elaborate outdoor display of colored lights, smiling Santas and glowing reindeer.

From September through Thanksgiving, the 76-year-old Pocatello man puts in 20-hour weekly shifts outside of his home in the 1700 block of Beth Street, stringing an estimated 27,500 lights and filling every gap in his lawn with yard art.

Williams’ efforts are rewarded nightly, when throngs of motorists are lured to his home after the sky darkens and his lights illuminate.

“I love doing it and I love to see the joy on other people’s faces when they see the lights,” Williams said. “We have people constantly driving by the house — and have for years and years — to look at the lights display, and that keeps me happy.”

His home has also been a perennial winner of Pocatello’s annual Snowflake Awards, frequently claiming either the award for most traditional display or the Griswold award.

“My display I think is one of the better displays in the city,” Williams said.

In the off season, Williams stores his display in a shed and hangs some of his yard ornaments in his garage. He’s accumulated the display over the past 42 years, ever since he moved to Pocatello from Idaho Falls.

About 22 years ago, a neighbor gave him a heavily used lift, which his son-in-law restored to working order. The lift enables him to decorate about a half dozen mature trees in his yard from top to bottom with lights. His big willow died earlier this year. To occupy the vacated space, Williams built a half dozen “trees” made of PVC pipes to illuminate. Laser-projected lights dance on his garage and on the side of his home.

Trains are prominently featured in his lawn art display: A pair of trains made of plywood — each with an engine pulling three cars — appear to wind their way through the lawn. There’s also a nativity scene, a gingerbread family leading a small horse, a glowing moose, a sleigh filled with packages, a pair of mule deer, three illuminated reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh and a second sleigh pulled by Rudolph.

“Rudolph got upset in some way, and he’s just sitting on the ground,” Williams explained.

The lights operate on a timer, turning on at precisely 5 p.m. and shutting off at 11 p.m. He usually waits until the day after Thanksgiving to activate his display for the season but went live with it a couple of days early this year, accommodating a special request due to the late timing of Thanksgiving this year.

He starts the slow process of disassembling the display after New Year’s Day. Lawn art is put away in relatively short order, but taking down all of the lights typically continues into March.

Williams, who worked in the insurance business and ran his own small agency in Pocatello, explained he loves Christmas because “it’s when people’s hearts turn to others more than themselves.” Growing up in Virginia, Williams said his father also loved Christmas and decorating their home with lights.

“I just followed in his footsteps. The only thing is I multiplied those lights by a lot,” Williams said.

In addition to the hard work of setting everything up, he’s historically had to pay a hefty power bill to keep his home aglow in holiday colors.

“I’ve had five extra circuit breakers put in over the years to handle the light display,” Williams said.

Two years ago, a salesman at a Salt Lake City holiday display shop convinced Williams to switch to LED lights, which last longer and require far less electricity. Since then, his December power bill has been about $200 less.

Putting together his displays hasn’t always gone smoothly. There was the time his ladder blew over, and he was stuck on a cold roof for several hours. Another time, he stepped off the ladder, only averting a bad fall when he found solid footing in a window well. Then there was the day when he had 24 strings of new lights spread across the garage floor; his wife, Pat, who was unaware, drove over them.

Family worry about him working on the roof at his age, but he plans to keep doing it for as long as he’s physically able.

“We have people who will drive down from Idaho Falls and American Falls and drive by just to see the display,” Williams said. “That’s neat.”