Christmas Decor Brings the Holiday Cheer with its Pandemic-Safe Pop-Ups Amid an Otherwise Gloomy Year

After a summer of lockdowns, Christmas Decor, a Texas-based holiday decorating franchise, found a COVID-19 safe way to launch their annual drive-thru/walk-thru holiday pop-ups in an outdoor, winter wonderland for families in need of some holiday cheer while raising money for good causes in the franchisee’s local areas.

Traditionally, Christmas Decor offers white-glove Christmas light and decoration installation services, looking at each home and business as a unique project. The brand has always been charitable, but Brandon Stephens, president of Christmas Decor, is stepping those efforts up with drive-thru and walk-thru light displays that serve as additional revenue streams for franchisees while providing a safe way for communities to come together and celebrate the holidays.

"Christmas is a time of year when people go out and enjoy the decor,” said Stephens. “It's just been amplified with the pandemic.”

The brand’s franchisees found “a safe way for families to go out and enjoy Christmas," with outdoor displays of holiday lights and decorations that call attention to charitable causes and local attractions, according to Stephens.

Since springtime, Stephens has seen demand for decoration installations spiking and customers nostalgic for Christmas spirit and togetherness while the pandemic keeps families indoors and away from social activities.

But this winter, Christmas Decor franchisees around the country have adjusted age-old traditions into perfectly Instagrammable, yet socially distant experiences.

As a COVID-19 friendly event, Ken Drivers of Christmas Decor in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, is selling a limited number of time slots at the Lehigh Valley Zoo, where families and Christmas revelers can walk through the zoo and enjoy food, hot chocolate, fire pits for s’mores and movie screens playing classic holiday films under the lights installed by Drivers’ franchise.

The walk-thru attraction at the zoo features lit-up scenes of Cinderella and her carriage and horse. Fan favorites Belle and Elsa from “Beauty and The Beast” and “Frozen” make appearances that make perfectly shareable photo opportunities as well.

The ‘Winter Lights Spectacular’ starts on November 13th this year. Normally the event goes until New Years’ Eve, but this year it’s extended to January 2 to accommodate a more spaced-out, socially distant schedule.

“We work with the zoo because it helps raise money for them,” said Drivers. He continued, “Last year, about 60,000 people from all over the tri-state area walked down the ‘Winter Lights Spectacular. We added more shows because of the time slots this year. Everything is going well, there will be some surprises in the decorations this year. Every year we try to change things up.”

Drivers isn’t the only franchisee making waves with the innovative walk-thru concept either.

“Across the country, franchisees are seeing a pent-up demand for fun activities that bring the whole family together,” said Stephens. “And with safety guidelines in place and proceeds supporting charitable causes, our drive-thru and walk-thru displays are ones that franchisees and families alike can feel good about celebrating.”

Originally created as an off-season supplement to the landscaping business, the Texas-based franchise now brings holiday cheer to over 300 communities across North America, ultimately creating jobs for 3,000-plus seasonal workers that might otherwise be unemployed. Backed by a strong business model and double-digit revenue increase year-over-year for the last 11 years, Christmas Decor is looking to grow in markets across the U.S.