With no delay or shortened schedule this year, the TMT Farm families and volunteer helpers will launch their annual drive-thru Christmas lights display, opening to the general public as soon as the sky gets dark, around 5:45 p.m., on Thanksgiving night.

That will follow a special Wednesday night, Nov. 27, opening “for all senior citizens, nursing homes, group homes, those with disabilities that can’t wait in line of traffic,” as was posted Tuesday on the “TMT Farm Christmas Lights Drive-Thru” page on Facebook. (Note that this is the exact spelling of the current page title, to find updates there.) That special evening will last from dark until 10 p.m.

“Last year we tried something and it worked real well, and people really appreciated it,” said TMT Farm patriarch Roy Thompson, who’s 78. “We opened up a night early – we just called it our special night for special needs and senior citizens. … Sometimes it’s hard to go out there and sit in line for two hours, especially if you’ve got a little age on you.”

Other nights, the lights are set to turn on automatically at dark and remain lit until 1 a.m. The display, which extends nearly two miles along unpaved farm roads off Old River Road North, is slated to open seven days a week until Dec. 28, its final night. Of course, weather sometimes intervenes, but cancellations are posted on social media.

As always, the display has no admission charge except a requested donation of long-shelf-life canned or packaged food items, a new, unwrapped toy for a child in need, pet food for the animal shelter or cash for people with emergency needs.

More than lights

Of course this holiday tradition, hosted annually by the Thompsons and McCranies on their land in northern Bulloch County, includes much more than just colorful lights. It features real and stage-set buildings, antique farm equipment, wagons, sleighs, Santas, fiberglass and inflatable animals, mannequins and replicas of historical Bulloch County landmarks such as Snooky’s restaurant, Henry’s barbershop and the former Pav-a-lon and pool from the Recreation Department’s Fair Road Park.

The attraction has grown for more than 25 years, drawing tens of thousands of visitors in most recent years.

“We have added a tremendous amount this year,” Thompson said in a phone interview. “We’re bringing back the music and we’ve got … gosh, just come see.”

As was done in past years, Christmas music will be supplied by a local FM signal, with information provided at the entrance about where to tune your vehicle radio.

Recent challenges

In early fall 2023, after debating whether to continue the tradition, the host families initially announced the display had been cancelled. But responding to an outpouring of support and requests from people who wanted to see the display and the charitable giving it supports continued, the TMT organizers changed plans and opened the display with a shortened schedule, extending roughly three weeks within December.

So this year’s announced schedule restores the tradition to a full month of lighted nights.

This year one portion of the exhibit, in the Cowboy Town area, suffered significant damage from Hurricane Helene and has not been rebuilt for lack of time. But it will be decorated with lights anyway, and there are new additions.

The Thompsons were driving to Midway earlier this week to pick up decorations, previously used at an outlet mall, that were being donated to TMT Farm.

“It’s going to be quite different from other things that we have got,” Roy Thompson said. “We have added so much that we just encourage people to come out to see. If you like Christmas, please come. …”

His wife, Deborah Thompson, encouraged him to add that if you don’t like Christmas, “Come anyway, we’ll change your mind.”

Bring donations

Last year when he announced that the 2023 display would open after all, Thompson said: “We want to be able to continue to help people. We started that as our mission, and it has served well.”

Donated food items and many of the toys will be distributed, as in past years, through the local charity Christian Social Ministries. In 2022, the last full season, TMT visitors reportedly donated more than 95,000 pounds of food.

Some of the toys, he said, will also be distributed through a group that has a collection point at Portal.

The pet food donations are provided to the Bulloch County Animal Services shelter. Much of the contributed cash, Thompson said, goes to pay utility bills of people in need identified through power companies. All is used for charitable purposes and none goes toward display expenses, he said.