LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — It's one of the best sights of the season, and there's no better view than the Kutch's holiday home display in the Back Mountain of Luzerne County.
"I just kept adding and adding, finding as many as I can," said Cole Kutch.
This hidden gem of the holiday season in Luzerne County has been displaying hundreds of pieces of classic Christmas decor for the past ten years. Across the lawn, you'll find Santas of all shapes and sizes.
"This one has been used a lot, it's very old, but the deer are very hard to come by for the sleigh," he explained.
The mind behind this major masterpiece is the family's teenager, 16-year-old Cole Kutch.
He spends countless hours, beginning in October, transforming his family's home in Dallas into a Christmas wonderland. It's something he started as just a kid decorating alongside his dad.
"I was helping my dad put up lights on the house, and we had little reindeer. But then, I bought my first blow-mold decoration at Kmart in 2016," he recalls.
From there, his love for vintage decor has blown up. There are now 325 of the blow mold decorations on full display on Grandview Avenue.
"Every time I see one, I'm like, 'I need to buy another one.' And they're like, 'You don't need anymore because there's so many of them,'" the high-school junior laughed, when asked about his friends.
It's a labor of love to hunt down and refurbish the Christmas collectibles. He's gone far and wide across the state to find certain pieces. Some of them are more than 30 years old. Just this year, he's collected 140 new pieces.
"I find them in local auctions, sometimes on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and sometimes I go local garage sales, and people are selling them for cheap, and I grab them up," said Kutch.
Each one has its own place on the Kutch's corner lot—from a toy soldier brigade to a complete Christmas choir.
Kutch says he begins planning months in advance.
"I write everything out on pen and paper," he said. "And I section the yard out like gingerbread and igloo scene."
Kutch has been just as busy as the elves in the North Pole, pounding stakes, stringing lights, and checking cords. Once night hits, the glow of the holidays comes to life.
"I actually have a walking path that's right behind me this year. I'm going to have lights hooked up to it so people can actually walk through the display and look at everything in detail," he said.
For so many, the Kutch home brings out the nostalgia of Christmas.
"I love when people bring their kids, and the adults see, 'Oh, that's what I had in my yard growing up.' And the kids are running around all happy," he said.
Sharing a holiday passion that spans generations, one that will continue to grow for this 16 year old, year after year.
'My goal is to get over 1,000, so I'm just going to keep adding until I lose track," Cole added.
The Kutch family home will light up the night starting November 25.
The lights will stay on throughout the holiday season from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. on weeknights and until 10 p.m. on the weekends.
For more information, you can follow the Kutch Family's decorating page on Facebook.