Charles Liner begins decorating in October, sometimes working well into the morning hours to prepare his house and yard for Christmas, all for passersby to enjoy.Liner has decorated his house just off U.S. 280 in Childersburg for the past five years with every color of light imaginable and any character found at the North Pole.
"I start before Halloween because I have to," Liner said. "We try to get the lights up and turned on for Thanksgiving, with travelers going by. I usually have to rush, but I continue to add stuff every time I get an idea."
By day, Liner is a trainer at Honda Manufacturing in Lincoln, but once home, his man hours are devoted to making this year’s project more elaborate than the last.
About 30,000 lights, inflatable snowmen, reindeer, sleighs, miniature Christmas trees, soldiers, igloos and a decorated wishing well with a disco ball complete the display that his wife, Kathy, says "is what he lives for."
This year he has expanded the scenery to include more than 4,000 lights that are displayed across the roof, built a portable fence to decorate and installed heavy-duty electrical boxes to accommodate the 600 pounds of extension cords. He also has added a seven-and-a-half-foot tall Santa Claus and if he gets a new idea, he’ll add more.
The Liners’ display is one of the largest in the area, but since they have a Sylacauga address but receive water service from Childersburg they are ineligible to enter any area house-decorating contests.
"We can’t enter the Parade of Lights (in Sylacauga), so we’re kind of like the middleman," Mrs. Liner said. "It doesn’t matter to us though; it’s the people he does it for. It’s something he enjoys and puts a lot of effort in."
Another one of Liner’s loves is magic. After his grandfather showed him his first card trick, he was hooked.
"I bought a TV magic kit that I ordered when I was 16 years old," he said. "I used it here and there till I was probably 25 years old."
He is now a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the Society of American Magicians and the Magic City Magic Club. He was the first Alabamian to receive a doctorate of magic.
He won’t reveal his secrets, but using his magic for good, Liner volunteers every year for the Children’s Hospital "Magic Moments" party for sick children.
"It’s a big party in conjunction with the circus and we entertain the children before they go in (to see the circus)," he said.
So with his magic abilities, why doesn’t he just snap his fingers and have the grandest Christmas display imaginable? Because that would take away all the fun, he said.
"It’s bigger and better every year," he said. "People stop on the other side of the highway and we can see the (camera) flashes going. Everybody tells me I’ve outdone myself. I just enjoy doing it. As Clark Griswold would say, ‘It enhances the spirit of Christmas.’ It’s my gift to the public I guess."
