A local holiday landmark has sat on Court Street for decades. Playing Christmas music for anyone who cares to roll down a window, lights and décor abound from the front of the house as well as the alley. 

It’s a tradition that dates back to 1956 when the late homeowner, Johnny Jensen, began hanging holiday lights. His widow, Irene, still lives there today, while his son, grandkids, and other family members continue the holiday cheer. 

Tradition Year #68

As early as October, four generations of the Jensen family will start to hang Christmas lights and its accompanying décor. Today that means memorials for John, and other family members who have passed, the iconic K-State vs. KU sign that dates back to 1991, and more. 

“It’s a couple week process,” said Greg Jensen, Johnny and Irene’s son. “When Dad used to do it, we were on ladders and crawled on the roof. But I don’t feel near as comfortable now and we borrow a bucket truck.” 

The goal is to go live with the lights on Thanksgiving night, including a live Facebook event on the family’s page, John & Irene Jensen Christmas Page.

Most years they are set up days in advance, a tactic that helps them avoid cold weather or excessive wind. Nieces and nephews and more gathered to help while Irene cooked green chili, a family favorite. 

Greg said he began helping with the décor as a kid, but took a larger role as their Dad got older. 

“I used to carry that Christmas tree to the top of the roof with one arm while climbing up with the other,” he said. “Talk about crazy.” 

The family has a picture of John on the roof at 83 years old, saying he helped for as long as he was able. “When we found that picture I thought ‘Oh boy I’ve got a long ways to go yet,” he said. 

At 91, Irene is still going strong, though her son and grandson have eased the process for her. Years ago, Greg said the holiday lights meant plugging in lights from upstairs windows and plugging into multiple outlets each night. Today, it’s all tied to a single switch that she can turn off and on from the main level. Johnny had also had a breaker panel added to the exterior of the house, another upgrade that helps the process, he said. Meanwhile, sleeves are now in the ground, while decades prior meant pounding in poles by hand each year. 

A Tradition Begins 

As a kid, Johnny had neighbors who went all-out with their Christmas décor, Greg said. Each year he would walk over and watch them decorate. 

In 1956, he began doing the same at he and Irene’s first home in Clay Center, 613 Dexter St. They moved to the current house on the 700 block of Court about a decade later.  

Working for the city of Clay Center for 48 years, it was also John’s  job to decorate the town. He would check every bulb in stringers that hung over downtown streets, check lit décor like candles and candy canes that hung on light poles, and more. 

The antique Santa that is hung at the house today was once displayed on the Courthouse Clock Tower. Greg said it hung beneath the clock face. Johnny, too, would hang these Santas annually. However, as its grown brittle, this is its last year on display.  Another throwback of the town is the glowing lantern that hangs above the street, which formerly hung downtown. 

The Legacy Lives On

“Dad would’ve never dreamt of how big this has gotten,” he said. “There are people in other states who come to see the lights, people from all over wonder when we’re going to do it.” 

He said another of John’s joys was adding new décor each year and having the family guess what it was. 

“He wouldn’t even tell us, but every year he had to have something new. He just enjoyed that.”

Years ago, John himself counted the lights, listing more than 2,000, but the number has only grown, Greg said. 

Everything is labeled, outlining its spot in the yard for easy assembly. Over the years, he’s also worked to transfer everything to LEDs. After experimenting with small lights, Greg said they just don’t have the same ambiance. They quickly returned to the larger, old-fashioned style of lights, but with LED bulbs instead. 

 “It’s really made a difference in the brightness.”

Music also rounds out the whole experience. What started as a cassette – Greg said he would drive by and call his Mom if there was silence, reminding her to flip the tape – now there’s an old iPod that plays on repeat. 

Though John has passed, his childhood interest in holiday lights has passed through his family and created something that residents and visitors alike have come to enjoy. 

“A few years before he passed, Dad told us, ‘If you guys want to quit, we’ll quit,’” Greg said. But he told his Dad it was a bright spot for too many. “At first we said we’ll keep doing it for a while but people tell us they brought their kids and now they bring their grandkids, so we can’t quit. It’s been quite the adventure.”