Every year I love to look at Christmas lights. My parents have some pretty amazing streets in their neck of the woods. The fab 40’s in Sacramento also have some Christmas wonder shared through their lights and displays – but Kristen found a magical place in Point Pleasant and she took me to see it after our High-Hand day. It felt like we drove into the middle of no where… then there were lights. Lots of lights glowing in the distance. We headed towards them and cars lined every inch of the surrounding street.
The owners of the Sassman Memory Farm string thousands of beautiful lights and display Christmas decorations all over their farm property for family, neighbors and complete strangers who come from afar. They open their magical outdoor home to all visitors – offering homemade cider, cookies and a seat by the fire. Santa even makes a special appearance some nights.
Judy and Earl Sassman started their display in 1993 after losing their beloved daughter Rhonda to cancer in 1992. Judy felt that by hanging a personal bell ornament on her memory tree, it brought the memory of her daughter a little closer during the holidays. She later began to think of others that had lost loved ones and how hard the holidays must be for them too. They both felt that fond memories are part of the Christmas spirit, so every year they put out blank wooden bell ornaments for people to leave messages to their loved ones. Each ornament is hung from one of the memory trees in the memory forest – the display has really grown over the years. Judy passed away in 1997, but Earl has kept her vision going. I read that Earl put up over 100,000 lights in the front and back yards of their home this year. The displays include a pair of tractors, animated reindeer, a ski scene, giant lollipops, a nativity scene and a 5 foot angel on top of a 33 foot tree.
Even though there is sadness when looking at the huge number of bells that hang from the memory trees, the love of this family and the community shine through. I can’t put into words the amount of magic I felt walking through this little farm. It’s not some crazy over the top Guiness Book of World Records display… but it sure does an amazing job of filling your heart with the spirit of Christmas joy.
Thank you Kristen for bringing me to the farm. I’m thinking I might have a new Christmas tradition.
May all of your fond memories keep those that are no longer with us, close to your heart during the holidays.
Merry Christmas,
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I am so glad you had Kristen to take you there and experience that with you. I wish I could have done it but yanno, I may have cried my stupid eyes out this year and been no help at all.
This is beautiful and I hope I can join you all next year!
From the looks of it a truly extraordinary and magical place. Hope we will get the chance to see it with you next year.
Thanks for the wonderful Christmas Foo………you always make it so very special.
Love and Hugs, Mommers
Kathleen, loved your post.. I know I am a little late leaving it but hey better late that never right. When you get a second check out my post Ashlee let me write today and let me know what you think
I realized today that I will be 30 in 280 days. I decided to make a goal for 2011 to lose 58LBS by the day I turn 30. http://ashandlewplus2.com/2011/01/01/280-days-to-a-new-me-lew-that-is/ I know that it is going to be hard but here I go!!!!
Lew
I too was able to experience the Magic wonder at the Memory Farm on Point Pleasant Rd for the first time last year. The Holidays are always hard when you lose someone you love. A very dear friend took me to a place far out of the way and I thought we were lost. Then as we approach the street, you can see the lights, the cars, people walking in awe of the lights and the work Mr. Sassman puts into this farm. I wrote on a bell for my husband and I will walk through the Memory Forest in search of that very bell I wrote on & sadly to add a couple more for our losses this year. I advise anyone and everyone to check this out, experience it for yourself. You will feel the love, the magic and the Spirit. I promise you, you will not see anything else like it.
We lost our wonderful son suddenly, this past March, he was only 25. Our family Christmas’ were always filled with the love we have for each other and we treasured every moment of the holidays together.
The holidays this year are far from joyful for myself, my husband and our other son, the oldest of the two. We have been racking our brains trying to figure out how we can get through Christmas and also how we can honor our beloved son Taylor.
A dear friend of ours came across your KCRA news article and passed it on to me. I read that this is your last year and we would love to take up the tradition. Of course we will start small but our desire is not only to honor our son but to give those that have lost loved ones, an outlet to express their feelings.
I am hoping that you even get this message and you will email me or call me at 916-752-0364 so that you can help me to figure out how to start this.
Please contact me.
Carla Owens
9460 Briar Bush Way
Elk Grove, CA 95758