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Central Point resident Doug Mills thinks that most hardcore holiday decorators probably have a story behind their obsession. Some do it because of childhood memories of an exuberant light-hanging dad, while others might have a competitive streak mingled with a passion for Christmas. But the reason Mills’ home, at 659 Ridgeway Ave., can be seen from space is that it’s a tribute to his big brother. “My neighbors probably think I’m crazy, because I’m out there every week adding something else — more lights, more strands,” Mills said. “I just do it because it was Greg’s tradition. During the holidays, it feels like the lights are a way that I bring a little bit of him back each year.” Doug Mills was five years younger than his brother Greg, one of the most genuine Christmas fanatics ever to grace the Rogue Valley. Not the kind of guy to do anything small-scale, Greg Mills began his passion for Christmas lighting before he was old enough to drive to the store, repeatedly, for “more lights.” “It started when we were kids. He would do the lights on my parents’ house growing up,” Mills said. “He would be out there all the time, for weeks leading up to Christmas, constantly asking to go back to the store for more lights. “And then he would help the neighbor do it, then another neighbor across the street would pay him to do their lights, too. And he was constantly asking him to go back to the store for more lights. I helped him a few times. He was a maniac. He just loved the lights.” While most people in the valley are aware of the famed Greystone Court light displays, Mills contends that his childhood neighborhood, on a dirt road up near Hillcrest and Roxy Ann, was a solid competitor. The Mills boys would brave inclement weather, growing their display each year. They handed out candy canes as cars, limos and trolleys trickled past with visitors inspecting their handiwork. “My joke was that the road was wide enough for one-and-a-half cars, but by the end of the year the number of cars that came up made it wide enough for two cars, and it was perfectly smooth,” he said. As an adult, Greg Mills, who lost his three-year battle with colon cancer on his brother’s birthday in January 2015, would hire lot attendants from the family’s Airport Chevrolet dealership to help him ensure his home display was still a sight to behold. Not to let tradition fade, little brother’s display boasts thousands of tiny bulbs and his brother’s beloved Light-O-Rama setup, which allows neighbors to synchronize their displays and users to log in and fine-tune the light strands with music. “Each box has 16 plugs on it, and each plug does a different little flash. There are just extension cords everywhere,” Mills said with a chuckle. Even though he starts early each year, spending two months on his display, he can’t imagine not seeing his brother’s lights shine bright for the holidays. “I think he enjoys it. He likes the attention, and he’s still getting it,” Mills said. “I’m totally fine with it being known that it was his creation. He’s still making people smile.” When visiting the display, tune into radio station 92.9 FM to get the full sound-and-lights effect, courtesy of the Mills brothers. Reach freelance writer Buffy Pollock at [email protected] .