For some New Jersey families, Christmas is a year-long affair.

Bob Martel has been decorating his Hamilton home for 36 years. Its now transformed into the Martels Christmas Wonderland, which thousands of visitors come to see each year.

The elaborate display covers his Mercer County front and back yards with 100 blow-up decorations, more than 500 molded figures and about 60,000 lights.

Its spectacular. But, it isnt cheap.

Martel estimates the display has cost him more than $100,000 over the years. That included a whopping $1,800 electric bill each December until Martel switched to LED lights.

Now, his electric bill is a more reasonable $400 each month the decorations are up, he said.

Some Garden State families create elaborate displays for the holidays that draw thousands of people to their homes and have become a joyful holiday tradition. But the costs of maintaining the displays both in time and money can be gruesome.

Some families happily cover the costs themselves and deliberately dont keep track of how much theyve spent on decorations, supplies and utilities.

Others say they accept donations and support from their communities to help make every years display even brighter than the last.

Martel accepts donations from the community through a lockbox at his front door to offset some of the costs, he said. The Martels display also won the $50,000 prize on ABCs The Great Christmas Light Fight in 2020.

Reindeer figures flank a Christmas tree made of lights on the front lawn at "Martel's Christmas Wonderland" in Hamilton.

It takes the Martels about three months to decorate the home before the holidays. But the time and financial costs are worth it, Martel said.

My kids grew up with it, and now my grandkids grew up with it, and I have a new grandson this year. My son had a baby. So, I wont stop it any time soon, he said.

Martel cuts costs on Christmas decorations by shopping for them on Dec. 26. At that time, holiday decorations are usually half off their regular price, he said. He and his family also go to thrift stores to buy discounted decorations.

Greg Roser, the self-described Christmas Guy from Fanwood, does the same.

He shops for Christmas lights in January and starts preparing his home for decorations right after Labor Day. Then, its a mad scramble between Halloween and Thanksgiving to get his show, known as Fanwoods Famous Christmas House, up and running.

Roser, 66, has been decorating his home for 40 years. As for how much it costs, Only Santa knows for sure, he said.

For Greg Roser of Fanwood, Christmas decorating is a passion. He's been lighting his home every December for the past 40 years. His display includes tens of thousands of lights and attracts thousands of visitors during the holidays every year.Courtesy of Greg Roser

Rosers home, located at 83 Paterson Road in Fanwood, has tens of thousands of lights up each year. I stopped counting, he said.

The lights used to make his electricity bill an extra $100 a month before he switched to LED lights. Now its only $25 a month. LED lights use about 75% less electricity than incandescent lights, so the switch allowed Roser to display more lights for less money.

The big factor is I spend a lot of money to purchase new lights, and it probably took about five years to pay them off by electricity savings, Roser said.

Thousands of visitors get out of their cars and walk up his Union County driveway to see the entire display, Roser said. Next to his front door is a lockbox where people can donate money to the New Jersey Institute for Disabilities, a nonprofit organization. Roser also encourages those who wish to donate online to visit the organizations website.

Greg Roser of Fanwood, New Jersey, takes Christmas decorating to a whole new level. His spectacle brings thousands of visitors to his home every holiday season.Courtesy of Greg Roser

Roser doesnt know how much the display has cost him over the years. Nor do I want to know, because this all comes from my heart, he said.

Erick Schules of Somerdale in Camden County also doesnt focus on the costs. Hes only 22, but hes been decorating his familys home for half his life.

When Schules was younger he would walk around his neighborhood to see other homes decorations and get inspiration, he said.

Erick Schules, 22, has been decorating his family's home for Christmas for half his life. He started at the age of 11, when he grew a fascination with Christmas lights. Now, the home attracts hundreds of visitors every year to see the spectacle Schules has created.Courtesy of Erick Schules

I always kind of dreamed of doing something like that myself, Schules said. Ever since I was able to pick up a light, it just drew my mind and my attention.

Schules said he spends about three hours every night in the fall to get his familys home set up for the holidays. The spectacle, known as Lights on Hiawatha, is open from the Saturday after Thanksgiving until New Years Day. It brings hundreds of people to his home on Hiawatha Road in Somerdale.

Purchasing the decorations has cost Schules a couple thousand dollars over the years, he said.

Donations help offset the costs, he said. Schules still donates a portion of the money to the Animal Welfare Association, a nonprofit animal shelter and adoption center in Voorhees.

But, similar to Martel and Roser, money isnt the focus for Schules.

He creates the holiday display for the kids and everybody else I bring joy to, he said. Im doing something for the community.

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Camille Furst may be reached at [email protected].