As Christmas nears, holiday music plays on every radio station, Christmas lists are sent out in the mail, and trees and lights appear in almost every house. The Christmas countdown begins. Every year, Milford shines extra light on the holiday season through its abundance of light displays throughout the community. 

     It is a family tradition for many to go and admire the holiday lights strung on houses throughout the city. A special individual in the Milford community took that tradition and opened it up to the entire town. 

     In 2019, John Krusinski, the owner of the non-profit organization Krusinski Kares, Inc., began a Facebook page dedicated to Milford’s Christmas light displays. For years on end, Krusinski has made it a tradition to drive around town to appreciate different displays. Every year, he records the houses he loves the most so that he can recommend them to family and friends, as well as remember to visit them the next year. 

     The Christmas in Milford Facebook page developed rapidly over the past few years and became a well recognized site. Beginning last year, Krusinski got local businesses involved to make gift baskets to give back to some of the light displays in Milford.

     According to Krusinski, the biggest category is the “Most Festive Home” category. Last year, the winner received about $300 worth of gift cards for all over. A super unique award is given to the “Most Festive Neighborhood”. The winning neighborhood will receive a “Summer Movie Night” that is donated by Big Screen LED,  which is a 12’ x 7’ movie screen. 

     Krusinski is big on giving back to the community, and in explaining the impact of his site he states, “I hope my website gives people that warm happy feeling that the holidays brought us when we were kids. Sadly, a lot has happened that changed our lives forever in the past 2 years. With my contest and my Facebook page, my goal is just for everyone to not think about anything bad and just enjoy the festive lights and decorations that I post and that others work hard to put out.”

     Jason Jenkins, a relatively new addition to the Milford Christmas light tradition, was one of last year’s winners from Krusinski’s Website. Jenkins moved to Milford two years ago and began his light display. Jenkins plans to build onto his display little by little each year while still keeping a clean and organized look. 

     Similar to Krusinski, Jenkins believes that both his display and others, bring enjoyment, and the experience of driving around town and seeing what other families have done is pleasing. 

     When Jenkins and his family received the gift basket Jenkins explained that the point was not that the basket was a reward or of necessarily physical value, Jenkins states, “the point was to give a display that was recognized by people and have the enjoyment of knowing that people enjoyed coming around and seeing our house. It was less about what you won and more about what we were able to do to add to the Christmas spirit.”

     The Milford community is made stronger through events and people that work to bring the town together. Many new families, streets, and businesses are able to be recognized all in the fun of adding holiday spirit to the streets of Milford. Getting involved is an easy and stress free process, either register your home address at the facebook page: Christmas in Milford CT, or send an email to [email protected].