Steven Foster’s love for Christmas decorating has been a family tradition for as long as he can remember.
For the past 15 years, Foster has made decorating his mother’s home, on Topaz Street in Redwood City, into his own tradition that is now around 50,000 lights, a programmed music and light show, over a dozen lawn ornaments and a mailbox to Santa.
All the time and money Foster has invested he does for his mother and the community.
“She loves it, she really likes people’s reactions and having friends and family come by and all the comments they make,” said Foster. “And, it’s a love letter to the community, I love Redwood City and it feels good to be the literal beacon of light for the community.”
Steven Foster
Inspired by Walt Disney who once said, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” Foster feels similar, and said he will never be done and sometimes just has to walk away.
He continues to collect more decorations each year. This year it is an 8-foot Nutcracker that stands in his mother’s courtyard. It is the same area as the music and light show that has accumulated to over 15 songs. He thought about doing a synchronized light show one year and invested in the programming equipment. He researched how to program the songs on his computer by watching YouTube videos. He said one three-minute song takes hours to program.
“All the work takes about a week by myself but a lot of friends and family have pitched in,” said Foster. “But when I turn it on for the first time I get chills, and the reaction from the neighbors, it just makes me really happy.”
His work hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2020, he entered a decorating and light contest in Redwood City and he received Judges’ Favorite and Brightest on the Block.
“They said I am a staple for the holidays,” said Foster.
Growing up, his mother would decorate their home and he loved it so much he would decorate his room with lawn ornaments, lights and wrapped his closet to look like a giant present. On Christmas Day, visitors who came to the house would peek into his room and acknowledge his work. His goal was for his house to be like those on Candy Cane Lane, which is locally famous for its multiple blocks of decoration on Connecticut Drive in Redwood City.
“I wanted to live on that block really badly,” said Foster. “And we would go out and search for Christmas lights. Eventually, I wanted to give that joy to people too, I wanted to emulate that.”
It’s not all about the lights and the awards. Foster believes he accomplished his goal if he can inspire the community or bring them joy. Last year, he started a donation fund for the Peninsula Humane Society with a QR Code for passersby to donate if they want. Foster turns on the lights from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., weather permitting. He plans on keeping the decorations up until Jan. 6.
Visit @Fostersholidays on Instagram for more information.
(650) 344-5200 ext. 105
(650)344-5200, ext. 105
Reporter
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Love & Hope & Magic: The Making of Jinx, the Musical,” is a documentary chronicling … Read morePremiere of Love & Hope & Magic: The Making of Jink, The Musical
Join us for an unforgettable evening as we set sail into the world of luxury river cruising!… Read moreLegendary Rivers & Tours Expo
San Francisco Symphony players get together in an intimate setting of the Gradus Ad Parnassu… Read moreSoirée Française: Our Favorite Violin Sonatas
Planning your dream wedding? Discover everything you need at the Wedding Fair in the Park – … Read moreWedding Fair in the Park
CA Is Burning said:
CA Is Burning said:
CA Is Burning said:
Disadvantaged = uneducated third world foreigners whose living habits are not aligned with the USA.
CA Is Burning said:
LITTLE - I think the time is here, have you considered MAID?
Thomas Morgan said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.