LIGHTING THE WAY AT CHRISTMAS

JACKSON -- The Rev. John Rice and his wife, Pat, follow God's directive "Let there be light" quite literally at Christmas.

Their 20,000-bulb lighting display turns their home at 1443 Oak St. into a beacon of good cheer in the city's western reaches.

There are 11 Santa Clauses, more than 200 candy canes, and innumerable bows and garlands. The decorations combine the religious and secular.

The religious figures -- a Nativity scene, an angel and a star -- are in the front yard. With the Nativity is a large sign that reads: "Keep Christ in Christmas."

"A lot of people who don't know Christ think it's a commercial holiday," he says. "We need to get back to what Christmas is all about -- the birth of Christ."

Silhouettes are the backbone of the Rices' backyard decorations. They buy them in the shape of Santas or other Christmas figures and add lights.

The Rices have been at this only four years. Their first display consisted of just a reindeer, a Santa and a sleigh. "We started small," Rice said.

But this year's display is one-third larger than last year's. They had to add seven 20-amp circuits to his wiring to handle the load.

The additions include Santa in a '57 Chevy and Santa driving a John Deere tractor.

Rice is fond of Santa Claus. He admits that he may be making up for a childhood bereft of such glittering Christmases.

"My dad was a pastor for small churches and they didn't pay much," Rich said. "If we had a present under the tree we were doing good."

A member of Bethany Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau, Rice has a singing ministry that takes him around the state for performances. He recently performed for the Salvation Army in Springfield and was asked back for the New Year's Eve services.

His cassettes and CDs titled "Inspirations of Praise" are available at The Way Christian bookstore at Trendsetters beauty salon.

The work of taking the displays out of storage and organizing them started in August. The actual assembly takes them both eight days. A church member helped him with the work on the roof, and one of his wife's co-workers pitched in as well.

One neighbor, Doug Rubach, is his electrical troubleshooter.

The Rices turned on their Christmas displays on Thanksgiving Day. Pat already is planning next year's new display, a lighted archway over the driveway.

"We get a lot of joy out of doing it," Rice said. "The people stop, look and look and pull around and look some more."