EAGLE, Idaho — The Box family has transformed their Eagle home into one of the most popular holiday light displays in the Treasure Valley, continuing a tradition that spans more than three decades.
Ken Box has lived in the house for 25 years, but his family's Christmas collection dates back 33 years, when his parents Ron and Jamie Box, started gathering decorations.
"We're here to celebrate Christmas at Candy Cane Lane. It's a family tradition that we've had going on. I'm in this house for 25 years. My parents have been collecting for about 33 years now, so the collection has grown exponentially over the years," Ken Box said.
The tradition began at another house where Jamie Box started a friendly competition with neighbors.
"We put stuff out... that was our first Christmas. And so we wanted to decorate our home. And then they put some stuff out across the street, and then the next year we bought a little bit more, and then that year they bought a little bit more, so it turned out like a really friendly competition, and then when we all moved out of the neighborhood... we continued the crazy, and they did not," Jamie Box said.
From the roof to the yard, every corner of the Eagle home is packed with Christmas magic.
Watch to learn more about Candy Cane Lane's history.
Even neighbors have joined the fun by adding playful signs to their yards.
For the last three years, the neighbors have put up signs, including "We give up" this year and "Show off" last year.
"We enjoy it. We laugh at it. Kind of looking forward to seeing what they do next year, actually," Ken Box said.
"Their sign is as popular as our display," Jamie Box said.
Visitors come for the lights, but many stay for the Grinch scavenger hunt featuring six green troublemakers hidden throughout the display.
"Finding the Grinches this year has been a lot more complicated than last, which is to be expected, I'm sure," visitor Kimberly Calkins said.
"We had six Grinches in the display, and it could take anywhere from 30 minutes to find them or multiple trips. We have lots of people that find a couple a night, a couple the next night. We have some people that come back during the day to see if they can get a different angle," Ken Box said.
"And the Grinches are harder this year than last year," said Brandy Bradley, Ron and Jamie's daughter.
"Someone on social media said last year it took them three hours to find the Grinches with nine people, and that was last year," Bradley said.
The Box family uses their display to give back to the community by raising money for Make-A-Wish.
Last year, they raised $1,500 and have set the same goal for this year.
Despite the elaborate setup, the cost to power the display isn't as high as visitors might expect.
"The whole display only pulls 45 amps worth of power. We're about 98 to 99 percent LED, so the energy efficiency of LEDs makes all the difference," Ken Box said.
"So it actually costs us more in candy canes to give out than it does the power bill," Jamie Box said.
People travel from as far as Sweet to Nampa to experience the display and the holiday spirit it brings.
"My favorite part is probably just seeing every single light at once. It's just so many lights. It's so, it's so bright," a member of the Barlow family said.
For first-time visitors, Candy Cane Lane leaves a lasting impression.
"Honestly, this is impressive on how they did all of this," Sophia Gaitan said.
Last year, the family handed out about 5,000 candy canes, which cost more than their power bill.
The display has been open since Nov. 17 and will stay lit until Dec. 31. Hours are 5:30 to 11 p.m. every night.
Visitors can either drive by and tune to the radio station 93.5 or listen to music playing along the fence line. The front half of the display on the garage and in front of the porch is synced to music.
"I recommend getting out because you'll miss a lot if you just drive by," Ron Box said.
"If you want to do the Grinch game, you won't be able to see them from your car... guaranteed," Ken Box said.
The family has added new features this year, including new structures, a custom banner for their "elf village" above the reindeer, and a blow-mold tree that dances to music.
The display includes a variety of items that bring back memories for visitors.
"When folks come out, they'll see something they're like, 'Oh, I remember growing up with that.' It just brings back some great family memories for folks, and sometimes they get a little teary-eyed because it brings back a really good memory," Jamie Box said.
Setup begins in September each year and takes about nine weeks to complete, starting with the roof and working down.
"People think this is scary since we're decorating long before Halloween, so they are... it is kind of scary for them," Ron Box said.
The family passes out candy canes for Halloween instead of traditional candy.
Ron Box designs the entire display in his head without sketching it out, and the family tweaks it every year.
"It's never the same display, so what you saw last year, you'll definitely see something different this year. It's not always the same," Ron Box said.
"And we usually, once we're done with the display, we'll look at it, and then we already start making changes for next year, so we got the 2026 display already in the works," Ken Box said.
For Ken Box, the tradition has become a way of life and quality time with his father.
"I've been ruined. This is bare minimum effort worth of Christmas decorating now. I mean, this is all I know, so I can't go just put up a couple of strands of lights. I mean, it's go big or don't do anything, but I've enjoyed putting it up. It's great quality time with my dad, memories I'm never going to forget," Ken Box said.
"We fight over the Christmas lights, like who gets what when they pass away," Bradley said.
The family has gained popularity on social media and now wears crew vests when out in public.
"We blew up on Instagram last year and Facebook, so we figured we might get a little bit of branding going. So, as we're out and about, you'll see us in our crew vests. And feel free to stop us... chat us up. I mean, we're always, we always enjoy talking to people. I mean, we're here to spread the joy, so if you see us holler," Ken Box said.
