Nottingham — The Gainsborough glow

 Greg Wright and his wife Susan have delighted the Nottingham neighborhood with an ever-expanding Christmas display at his house for the past 20 years.  

Composed of many Christmas and winter holiday scenes, Greg and Susan’s house in southeast Olympia is worth a visit. It’s not far from Olympia High School, at 3625 Gainsborough Drive, right off Log Cabin Road. 

Greg has done a wonderful job displaying both secular and sacred decorations to give everyone a chance to connect with what they enjoy at this time of year. One way he combines the two themes is with a 7-foot-tall kneeling Santa bowing down to the baby Jesus high above his garage door.   

Everywhere, secular decorations abound; trains, 80 vintage blow molds, lights, 15 lighted trees, snowmen, nutcrackers and Santa Clauses to name just a few. The display is 125 feet wide covering the whole front yard. Plus, certain sections of this display are animated and many of the lights are coordinated with Christmas music. 

Greg wants to bring joy to the neighborhood. This beautiful Christmas display allows people to forget about their troubles and have several moments of good feeling and calmness.   

Many people that go by Greg’s house see this fantastic endeavor and decide to stop and take photos. Then they see the Thurston County Food Bank box and realize they can donate to a very worthwhile cause while enjoying the decorations. This is the third year that this food bank box has been there.   

Each day, he empties the food bank box and periodically takes the donations to the Thurston County Food Bank. On several occasions, he has found the food bank box overflowing with items. He is really gratified by the generosity of the community.  

The time frame for setting up, displaying and tearing down this enormous project is approximately two and one-half months. He tests all the lights and other items at the beginning of November, and then lights up all the displays by the day after Thanksgiving. At the start of the new year, he will dry out all the lights and other items before putting them away for the next year.   

The Nottingham neighborhood has a very strong association. They do several projects throughout the year. The Nottingham Community Association works to bring the Nottingham neighborhood together and make these members proud of their neighborhood. 

Projects throughout the year include: 

• A spring egg hunt.
• An ice cream social at the end of the school year in June.
• A National Night Out. At this event, residents bring their delicious pies to be judged.

Nottingham strives to do neighborhood projects and events that reflect its changing demographics for the age groups in their neighborhood, both children and adults. 

Consider a drive through the Nottingham neighborhood, and if you can, drop off a donation to the Thurston County Food Bank this holiday season while visiting. 

Editor's note: The Nottingham Community Association is one of the many Olympia Recognized Neighborhood Associations. To learn more about the city’s neighborhood program go to the City of Olympia website. You can check the map to see if you already live in a recognized neighborhood and if not, you can learn how to start one by contacting the Council of Neighborhood Associations at cna.olympia@gmail.com.