by Jeanni Ritchie
I spent my Thanksgiving evening working like an engineer on my schedule for December. There were just so many holiday offerings in Central Louisiana I didn’t want to miss that I had to do some fancy figuring to get them all in.
I also worked in a handful that were about an hour’s drive away, including this one that kicked off my holiday season at home: Christmas on the Ranch Light Show Drive Thru.
I first heard about Christmas on the Ranch when they’d sponsored a student group attending Lagniappe Theatre’s production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Intrigued by the name as well as the philanthropy, I reached out.
Located in Leesville, the owners explained that the drive-through light show, set to music that plays through your own car speakers, started three years ago.
“We started it when our little boy got sick. Lights were the first thing he gravitated too after he was sick,” Courtney Whitehead shared.
Caffrey is now 5 and loves the annual light show. He often visits with guests in the gift shop after they’ve driven through the light display.
I took two of my grandsons on opening night, Nov. 29. It was $30 for the entire car and we pre-purchased our tickets at christmasontheranch.com.
Their eyes lit up like the displays on each side of the windows as we turned into the drive. A twenty-minute drive through a winding path with lights set to Christmas favorites like It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas and Jingle Bells was exciting.
At the end of the drive we got out and visited the general store, Santa’s cottage, vendor booths, and an outdoor play area with lawn games like Connect Four and cornhole. We ALL wrote letters to Santa. Jonah wanted Lankybox merch (I am so out of the loop I had to Google that one!) and Wensley asked for a PS5. Taking a cue from Eartha Kitt, I went big and asked Santa Baby for a Mercedes and a publishing deal. Go big or go home, right?
They certainly went big at Christmas on the Ranch with over a million lights for our Christmas pleasure.
Christmas on the Ranch Lights runs nightly from 6-10 PM, Black Friday through Christmas Eve.
Special event weekends like Armed Forces Appreciation Weekend, Teacher Appreciation Weekend, and Foster Families Appreciation Weekend with discounted tickets can be found on their schedule of events.
The Christmas on the Ranch Light Show Drive Thru is located at 5898 LA-117, Leesville, LA.
Jeanni Ritchie is a freelance journalist from Central Louisiana. She can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com.
