Lighting the way to decor

When Joe Demerjian was two days late setting up his annual Christmas display this year, his neighbors started to worry.

“We usually do it on Thanksgiving Day,” said Demerjian, 64, who has extravagantly decorated his home on North Jackson Street for the last 26 years. “But we didn’t decorate it for a couple days and people started to ask, ‘Why aren’t they up yet?’”

The Demerjian’s display is such a familiar holiday fixture in the neighborhood that the city posts “No parking” signs on their curb, in order to keep a clear view for passing cars, said Joe Demerjian’s son James, 25.

In the display, three snowmen stand beside one another in a giant snow globe, as white flakes swirl around them. An illuminated Nativity scene suspends in time the biblical story of the birth of Jesus, the star of Bethlehem towering over the tiny manger.

“Obviously there’s a religious aspect to it, as well as the festive aspect,” James Demerjian said.

Just a few miles away on South Everett Street, another holiday display has onlookers coming from other cities.

“They’re from all over,” said Zhirayr Nazaryan, 30, who has set up the display for the past 10 years. “They come from Pasadena, Hollywood; we get a lot of traffic.”

Nazaryan’s Nativity scene has a California twist, with lighted palm trees stuck amid biblical characters, who sit on stacked bales of hay. Two 8-foot candy canes set off the walkway to the home’s front door, which is framed with red poinsettias and a red ribbon in the middle.

A motorized Ferris wheel spins above the front lawn, with snowmen, penguins and polar bears riding along to the Christmas music. And, naturally, Santa Claus takes up a large portion of the display, steering his lighted reindeer and spouting holiday wishes, punctuating his sentences with a melodic “ho-ho-ho.”

Nazaryan sets up his display to kindle the holiday spirit, especially for children in the neighborhood.

“When the kids enjoy it, it makes me happy,” he said.

Given the amount of time the Nazaryan family puts into the display, they are disappointed that the city of Glendale does not hold a contest for area homes, like in neighboring Burbank. And since keeping the exhibit lighted and running gets expensive, some sort of subsidy from Glendale Water & Power would help ease the burden, Nazaryan said.

The Nazaryans plan to keep their display up until Jan 6.