Smiles + Memories + Joy = Hope.

This is why we do what we do.

I believe that lighting is magical. Primitive man worshipped the moon for its mesmerizing ability to light up the night. The sun for its magical ability to provide warmth. And Fire for its otherworldly ability to extend daylight into darkness. Lighting, in all of its forms and throughout all of history, has been a source of inspiration and enlightenment. Lighting makes us feel warm. It makes us feel happy. It lights the fire of creativity in all its forms. It sparks conversation and storytelling that brings us closer. It makes us smile because of the joy we feel as memories are being created. It is the twinkle in our eyes that we call hope. Lighting brings us hope.

"Our philosophy is simple; share the joy! It is this philosophy that lies at the heart of every product we sell and everything we do. We believe that if we help you create as many smiles as possible, spread as much joy as possible, develop as many memories as possible and share the great gift of hope with as many people as possible during the holiday season and beyond, our world will be a far better place."

~Darren Vader, The Christmas Light Emporium

Although our company is not huge, we are growing fast. I am proud of what we are doing because of where I came from. Growing up in a single parent home and watching my mother work tirelessly to provide for my brother and I made me angry. Angry that someone who worked so hard should have so little time for themselves. She had little time for smiling, little time for creating memories, little time for true joy and as a consequence her hope for her own future became diminished. She spent her little time away from work trying very hard to give my brother and I experiences that would make us smile, give us joy, create memories and ultimately, give us hope.

What she didn't know at the time is that her tireless efforts to give us hope - worked. And she probably didn't know that my entire vision for my life and for The Christmas Light Emporium is to provide people with a means to bring more hope into the world. And I credit her fully for that inspiration. Because, you see, I do have great memories of my childhood. I did smile a lot. I did experience great joy. And I definitely grew into adulthood with massive amounts of hope.

I was lucky in that regard. There are far too many children who did not and do not receive the gift of hope. Children without hope often grow into adults without hope. You can very easily see the amount of hope in a person's soul simply by looking into their eyes. I learned this from Christmas lights.

I have seen the power of Christmas lights in action thousands of times. I have seen the twinkle of hope not only in the eyes of children, but also in the eyes of adults. Lighting brings us hope. It became my passion about 18 years ago. I started installing a ridiculously huge computer controlled light show at my home. I watched the children dance and sing. I watched their eyes twinkle. I watched as adults with no expression on their faces stared at me in my Santa suit as if I was absolutely crazy. And I watched as the twinkle came back to their eyes. Hope. I was bringing hope to my community.

I can tell you hundreds of stories of my own and of our customers. Stories of how the love of Christmas decorating has created smiles because it makes people feel joy while creating memories which gives them hope.

I can tell you about the single mom who visited our Christmas lights every night with her autistic son because it kept him calm. I can tell you the story about our multitude of customers who create elaborate Christmas light displays and collect donations for charities of all types. I can tell you the story of the homeless man who receives all of his winter clothing each year directly because of Christmas lights. I can tell you about the small food bank near our home that is the benefactor of the generosity of those who visit our Christmas light display and several others in the area. The reason they give is because they recognize the value in what we are doing. We are giving people hope.

I can tell you many stories about adults bringing their senior parents to see Christmas lights and how much they look forward to it every year. Why? Because it reminds them of their youth. It makes them smile because of the joy of the memories - which gives them hope.

There are far too many stories to tell even in these short snippets. But you don't have to look far if you want to hear more of them. Every group of decorators is chuck full of stories like these. Indeed, there are many organized groups for Christmas decorators. Every state and many regions have decorating groups that meet regularly. You can find them with an online search. You don't have to look far to find stories of hope.

The hope that lighting brings does not end with Christmas lights. It is a focal point of weddings, backyard BBQ's, parties, concerts, homes, buildings, public art, museums, roadways - the list goes on and on. There is a high level of emotional response that is triggered by lighting in every venue within which it exists. But we aren't experts at architectural lighting or lighting up public roadways. So we will stick to what we know; holidays, events, parties and patios. We will always focus on bringing lighting to places that we believe offer the greatest opportunity to bring people closer together, make them smile, bring them joy, create memories and give them hope. As Memory Makers, I hope you will join us.

Sincerely,
Darren Vader
Founder and Head Elf
The Christmas Light Emporium

TheChristmasLightEmporium.com is a Christmas lights and Christmas decorations retailer and is one of the fastest growing Christmas lighting and décor retailers in the United States.