Candy Cane Lane: Cathedral City tradition hangs on despite home sales, electricity bills and pandemic restrictions

When Sam Defeo and Joyce Arnold put in an offer on their house on Minerva Road in 2015, they made sure that the Christmas decorations would come with it. What Defeo calls "Santa's workshop" has been part of the street's history for three decades and, for this couple, it was part of the curb appeal.

Minerva Road is where, each winter, most homeowners deck out their houses, transforming the small street into Candy Cane Lane. For many who grew up in the Coachella Valley, visiting the lights display is a holiday tradition. And "Santa's workshop" is a longtime favorite.

"I love that," said Emily, 7, as she stood out front of the garage with her younger sisters — all in matching Minnie Mouse jackets — watching a large train set do circles in Defeo's garage. Emily's parents bring their children to Candy Cane Lane every year, taking the 30-minute drive over from Coachella just like their parents did for them.

Despite changing owners, the workshop scene has essentially remained the same since then. Defeo has added "brick" panels and a tunnel for the train to travel through. When the original train broke down, he replaced it with a blue Thomas the Tank Engine.

"The first year was like putting together a puzzle," Defeo admitted. Now he has diagrams for the display and, during this past year, has worked to make things easier to put up and take down each year.

Neither Defeo nor Arnold know the full backstory of the scene, but it reminds them of old fashioned Christmas displays that used to grace department store windows.

The plexiglass that separates the elves from the fingers, mouths and eyes of mesmerized children is about a quarter-inch thick.

"We enjoy seeing all the little kids come up and watching their expressions," Defeo said. "It's fun. They're just amazed."

That interaction is why Defeo and Arnold chose not to put up the display last year — they didn't want to be responsible for any children contracting the virus. Even this year, though they have installed their decorations, they aren't outside interacting with people and handing out candy canes like they normally would be.

They're making an exception this weekend when some students from Shadow Hills High School were expected to use the area in front of their garage to perform Christmas carols on Saturday.

"It's actually a tradition," said Brianna Gibbons, 15. They also skipped participating in Candy Cane Lane festivities last year due to the pandemic. "It feels great to be able to walk back in knowing you're in the same environment under different circumstances and still being able to share what we love to do for the people and help celebrate," she said.

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Performing in the neighborhood helps connect them as a band, Gibbons added. And, she said, there's something special about hearing them all play together in harmony.

"We usually get a crowd around us when we play — everyone wants to listen to the carols," she said.

Pressure on homeowners

Defeo and Arnold were excited about being part of the Candy Cane Lane community. They'd watched the mechanical display that would become their own on YouTube before buying the house. But that isn't the case for everyone.

"It's a special disclosure when we sell a house there," said Jeff Litton, longtime real estate agent in the area. "When I have a person who moves there, I have to disclose to them because — the neighbors — they expect them to put lights and stuff up."

In the past, he said, residents who didn't decorate were approached by other neighbors who offered to decorate for them and even pay the electricity bill. It is common practice for decorations to be sold along with houses on the street, he said.

"When you buy a home there, it comes with responsibility," Litton said.

There's a lot of pressure to participate, electricity bills may be higher and there is bad traffic for the month of December, he said. More than a decade ago, he said, he had one client who went into labor over the holidays and faced bumper to bumper traffic trying to get off the street to the hospital.

"Some people want to move there because of it, but it also comes with its problems," Litton said.

Litton has one home listed on the street for $575,000. There's a Christmas tree on display in the window and inflatable decorations and lights are in the yard.

The neighborhood used to have other functions, too, including a potluck party in the street every Mother's Day, according to Litton. Many of those community leaders have left, but most residents keep up the winter tradition, he said.

"It's not mandatory — you're not in an association, you don't have to do it — but it is disappointing when someone doesn't do it," Arnold said. She heard that neighbors were upset when they chose not to participate last year, but no one said anything to them directly.

This year the street isn't as bright as it has been in previous years, according to passersby walking through on Thursday night.

There were some "dark houses" and the western end of the street, which curves before intersecting with Tachevah Drive, was a shadow compared to its eastern neighbors. Defeo said that one of the owners on the side of the street just doesn't have the time to opt in — he works six days a week and, on the seventh day, has to drive to Los Angeles for supplies.

"There used to be a lot more (lights)," said Taylor Intal, who used to visit the street as a child. Intal also said that it was "less packed."

The Cathedral City native explained that Candy Cane Lane starts out as a family tradition then, in high school, it becomes a place to bring your dates. At age 22, Intal and longtime friend Jeannine Marron just came by to check out the lights and walk their dogs, Blu and Lulu.

What makes it 'worthwhile'

The students performing, the lights, the decorating, the candy canes, it all adds to the feeling of community on Minerva Road. It's a sense of community that can be hard to come by the rest of the year when parents are busy with work and kids are busy with school, Arnold said.

"The parents are very appreciative of the fact that we do this and, I think, that really makes a difference to me," Arnold said.

Before the pandemic, she said they'd give out 6,000 candy canes. This year, they've cut back to 4,000 and, instead, are leaving them out for kids to take themselves.

"It's amazing they only take one," Arnold said. She likes to give candy canes to the parents, too, she said. "There's a little bit of kid in every one of us."

Most of Arnold's family is back in Alabama, so she doesn't get to see them often. Not having their own grandchildren nearby, the couple said that seeing those faces light up makes the work worthwhile. Working on the train also has meaning for Defeo because it is something that he and his father used to do.

"You're in a different world when you're walking on the street," Defeo said. "For some reason you're mood is different, you feel better ... It's like walking into the Magic Kingdom."

Maria Sestito covers issues of aging in the Coachella Valley. She is also a Report for America corps member. Follow her on Twitter @RiaSestito, on Instagram @RiaSestito_Reporter or email her at maria.sestito@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Minerva Road residents transform their street into 'Candy Cane Lane'