There’s an unspoken tradition in the Rio Grande Valley that some residents celebrate around Christmas time and that’s driving around neighborhoods to witness the awe-inspiring decorations families set up for the holidays.

One Palmview home in particular is famous in the RGV for their jaw dropping contribution to the tradition and will make their national debut on an episode of ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight.

The Cantu family home on Breyfogle Road and Expressway 83 is known for their nearly 30-year commitment to extravagantly decorating their front lawn and home in December to show the world their love of Christmas.

“Christmas to us is year-round,” Roy Cantu, Reporter and Producer for the City of McAllen, said. “If we see something we like we just pick it up, if we want to do something we do it.”

Roy and his sister unknowingly began the tradition 28 years ago when they decided to surprise their parents who were coming down from Illinois for the holidays. They decorated the house with 3,000 lights and a big Christmas tree in the yard.

The following year Roy’s mother, 75-year-old Chela Cantu, returned to the valley with an enormous metal frame that she decorated using her cable management skills to create a wreath which is hung up in the same spot on their balcony every year.

The siblings continued the tradition for five years until their parents retired and took over the operation, which grew from 3,000 lights to over several hundred thousand throughout the years.

“My husband tells me ‘Ya, tell them not to buy any more’ and I told him, ‘I’m the worst one,’” Chela Cantu said laughing.

The Cantu family, which has decorated their Palmview home for Christmas for nearly three decades, will be featured on ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight Thursday. (Courtesy: ABC)

Christmas was especially meaningful for Roy and his family as it was one of the only holidays they got to spend together since his parents lived in the Midwest and would come to Texas for the summer and winter.

Their love for each other and the holiday became a sort of beacon for other families as it’s become a bit of a tourist attraction for other residents in the RGV and even Mexican nationals, so much so that it’s begun to span generations.

“When we started this, it was literally just for our family,” Roy said. “And whenever [my parents] come out here, people want to talk to them and they just go, ‘I brought my kids here,’ ‘Can I bring them by?’ So they bring them by.

“Then after a few more years, they’re bringing their kids’ kids and so now those kids are bringing their kids and it’s the craziest thing in the world.”

Roy’s father, 80-year-old Rogelio Cantu, said people tell them they should charge visitors, but he refuses saying that they love having the kids stop by.

He gets especially excited when children come over because he gets a chance to show off his favorite decoration, a nearly five-foot-tall singing and talking animatronic reindeer set right by the front door which the family has had for so long, they don’t recall where it came from.

The Cantu family, which has decorated their Palmview home for Christmas for nearly three decades, will be featured on ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight Thursday. (Courtesy: ABC)

Not all the decorations are simple Christmas lights though.

The family also displays paintings as well, one of which is an American flag created by Rogelio after the tragic events of 9/11 and is dedicated to those who lost their lives in the tragedy, and another of Santa visiting baby Jesus. That one’s deeply personal to Chela as it was a gift from her cousin who recently died due to COVID-19.

Blessings often come in strange ways.

The Cantu family experienced some vandalism a couple of years ago when someone stole nearly half of their decorations. The theft was covered by a local news station and because of this, producers of The Great Christmas Light Fight somehow took notice of their home and asked Roy to submit pictures and video and they were eventually selected to be part of the show.

The Cantu family, which has decorated their Palmview home for Christmas for nearly three decades, will be featured on ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight Thursday. (Courtesy: ABC)

As big fans of the show, the Cantu family knows what it takes to win the competition, which they have their doubts about. Though they feel like they’ve already won just being part of a show they love.

“It’s great to win the prize, but just being selected on that show is incredible because you see all the hard work and effort families put into their homes and you see the dedication,” Roy said.

And though they might not win the show’s competition, the family has already won Palmview Chamber of Commerce’s House Lighting competition last year and the hearts and minds of the people who continue to visit their home.

The episode of The Great Christmas Light Fight featuring the Cantus and their community treasured home will air at 8 p.m. Thursday on ABC.