St. James family wins Christmas lights competition show

Local viewers of “The Great Christmas Light Fight” may have recognized one of the families in a recent episode.

Many residents in St. James and the surrounding areas are familiar with the Stier house on Arlington Avenue. Each year Ashley and Chris Stier, along with their children Serenity and Storm, fill the lawn with children’s playhouses that they decorate with lights plus handcrafted and hand-painted accents. Each structure is dedicated to a specific theme, such as the movies “Miracle on 34th Street,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and more. Traditional Christmas decorations complement the playhouses and an arch of lights decorates the driveway.

In 2021, a friend sent a video of the Stiers’ annual display, and the show’s producers interviewed the family after seeing the submission. The Stiers were thrilled when they were told they were chosen and filmed an episode last year over four days that aired this Dec. 12. While the family was notified that they had won the contest, they weren’t able to tell anyone and couldn’t collect the $50,000 prize until after the show aired.

Ashley Stier said while it was difficult, they were able to keep the secret. They also had yet to learn who they were up against while filming.

“The moment it airs, that’s the time we see it, too,” she said. “So we had to wait a whole year to see the outcome and who we competed against.”

The Stiers were up against stiff competition, including one family spreading their holiday display throughout more than 3 acres of land in Bainbridge, Georgia, and an Orlando, Florida, couple decorating their home with lights to honor those around the world who succumbed to COVID-19.

On the episode, when judge Taniya Nayak awarded the Stiers their Light Fight trophy, she said, “You can feel the love and all of the creativity in every piece of the display that you guys put together.”

To get ready for the competition show, the family began in September 2021 as they had 58 days to complete the setup before filming started.

“Everyone was, like, what’s going on,” Ashley Stier said.

The Stiers decided to go with “The Nightmare Before Christmas” theme, which would be fitting for Halloween, too. The passersby could see Santa Claus battling the character Jack as well as skeletons fighting each other.

“We had to figure out how to correlate the two holidays,” the mother said.

The Stiers’ display not only features Christmas favorites of the family but also plays into their interests and careers. Ashley Stier is a real estate agent and enjoys craft, and Chris is a sheet metal worker who co-owns Trio Sheet Metal Works Co. with his brother. The 16-year-old Serenity also enjoys the do-it-yourself projects, while 8-year-old Storm loves sitting in one of the houses handing out candy canes to visitors, in addition to helping put everything together like his sister.

The annual setting was inspired by a Dickens village that Ashley Stier’s grandparents once displayed in their home and her late grandmother passed on to her. Ashley’s grandfather Thomas Taravella also appeared on the show.

In addition to fully decorating their lawn, the Stiers also host their extended family for Christmas yearly.

“As everyone started passing away, it was like now we are the ones who have to carry on the torch,” the mother said.

Ashley met Chris when she was a student at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket. They married and had their daughter young. As Ashley attended college, Chris and his brother began running their father’s business.

“We sort of grew up together,” Ashley said, adding through the years both have developed a deeper love for Christmas.

When Ashley was younger, she and her family would go every year to see the houses decorated in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, and once they started dating, Chris would join them.

“When I was little, that was a big deal for me,” she said.

The day would include a visit to the attractions as well as watching the movies “Miracle on 34th Street” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” and drinking hot chocolate. The tradition inspired the two playhouses in their outdoor display dedicated to the holiday movies.

Before the couple moved to St. James, they would set up an outside display at their East Meadow home. Chris Stier and daughter Serenity used one of her playhouses one year.

“My husband was always obsessed with the Christmas stuff with her,” Ashley Stier said.

Through the years, helping their parents with the holiday tradition and their father with projects, the children have learned various skills, including Serenity knowing how to weld and being knowledgeable about plumbing.

Although the family has lived in St. James for several years, they started going big with the display in the past few years. Ashley Stier said the presentation gets bigger every year with people, especially local moms, dropping off playhouses and other items.

Usually, it takes the Stiers a month to decorate, but this year it took approximately six weeks, because last year when it was time to pack up, Ashley Stier said they were tired, and they rushed to get everything put away.

However, the lawn is decorated once again, and people get out of their cars to check out the holiday display, and her son gives out candy canes when he can. Every once in a while, they push the button on their snow machine, depending on how many people are around.

They have a pathway up to each house so visitors can look closer, and a mailbox to send letters to Santa. There’s also a spot to drop off toys for Miss Minnie’s Kids which sends the items to children in Jamaica. Ashley Stier said in addition to putting money aside for Serenity’s and Storm’s college funds, the family will also donate some of the $50,000 prize to the nonprofit.

Recently, a Girl Scout Troop that had dropped off a playhouse a few years ago stopped by to see their contribution, which is now the gumdrop house.

“It’s kind of nice because it went from doing something for our family and now it’s turning into a community thing, everyone is a part of it in a way,” Ashley Stier said.

The episode, Season 10 Episode 5, can be viewed on ABC on demand or Hulu.