Concord's 'Mr. Christmas' retires from holiday light display

CONCORD, Calif. (KGO) -- It's a time of year that's full of tradition and each year people in one Concord neighborhood look forward to one of those uniquely American holiday light displays. It's been a labor of love by a man they call Mr. Christmas.

The house on Olive Drive in Concord will light this season for one of the last times. The man known as Mr. Christmas is pulling the plug.

Mr. Christmas, also known as Bruce Mertz, is 85 years old. He has put tougher this living piece of folk art every year for 36 years, partly in honor of his late wife. It has grown bigger every year in terms of spectacle and neighborhood importance.

"Parents, 35 to 40 year olds who were around here when they were just kids, and they got kids. And their kids got kids."

Jackie Kouhi is one of them. She's been to see Mr. Christmas ever year

"Since I was 17," she said.

But this will be the last. Mr. Christmas said he just can't get those 50,000 bulbs up and down and keep them running every year. It's a five month project.

"This year I did not take them down because I couldn't get them down," he said.

Which bothered Jackie Khouhi a lot.

"It would be sad if he unplugged without recognition from the community," she said.

So Monday night it happened, Christmas joy, Christmas thanks, Christmas love -- a collective neighborhood thank you. They say that when you give you get back tenfold and in the consistent case of Mr. Christmas, maybe even more.