Teen builds massive holiday light display to raise money for Make A Wish

Christmas is the “Season of Giving” and one local high school senior is on a mission to help others during the holidays. The idea of a holiday light display started about a decade ago with just few lights. In 2016, he lit up his Austin home with more than 50,000 lights and it’s all for a good cause.

18-year-old Jordan Maywald said his love for holiday lights started just about a decade ago. “This all started about eight years ago my father used to do it, just a few lights on the house, then I decided Ill take over and it just kind of took off from there. There's an inflatable santa claus my mom brought home one time, that was one of the true reasons why I got started,” he said.

His parents Chad and Rhonda Maywald said he works months ahead on the light project, “It's October, look out, he starts, and it’s like. I am in the yard. He’s gotten my sister, my brother in law, his uncle, his uncle grandmas, everybody involved now it’s turned into a Thanksgiving Day deal where just everybody gets out here and helps him and then its Christmas decorations,” his parents said.

Between being busy with school and part of a playoff winning football team for Bowie High School, Jordan mows lawns, and does work on his grandma's farm to raise money for supplies during the year. “There's not a display like this because most of this stuff out here we build ourselves and it's just a unique experience,” Jordan said.

As the sun goes down in his small Southwest Austin neighborhood, the light of all his efforts shines brightly though the dark sky. Jordan hopes his light display will help Central Texas children going through dark times. He's hoping to raise 5,000 dollars for the “Make a Wish” foundation. “There's no better feeling than giving money to them for children who are ill so they can go on a vacation or something they want it's just very heartwarming to us.” Jordan said he hopes his lights will help the community not only get in the holiday spirit but also get into the gift of giving. “Being able to project the feeling of giving on top of it, is just icing in the cake and he's just taken it to a whole other level,” Jordan’s dad Chad said.

The lights will be on from 5:30pm to 10pm every night, as long as it's not raining. If you want to help you can click here to make a donation or better yet, you can go see the lights in person and drop some money in the “Make a Wish” box. The address for the lights is 10505 Twilight Vista,  Austin, TX 78736.