Popular Christmas light display impacted by supply chain issues
Pat Farley (left) wonders how supply chain issues will impact his annual Christmas display
By Alani Letang
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SANTA CRUZ, California (KSBW) — Global supply chain problems have threatened to dim a holiday light display that is a community favorite.
Pat Farley starts shopping for Christmas decorations early for his front yard holiday attraction, Farley Christmas Wonderland.
“Christmas. Like this past Christmas Day, I ordered a bunch of trees and some of them I got and then some of them I haven’t seen, and I’m not going to see them this year,” said Farley.
He placed orders for Christmas trees in December 2020, some haven’t shown up yet. He ordered other decorations in January 2021 but says it took until November 2021 to be delivered. He paid $1,195.92 for that order, with free shipping. Then got an email in October before the delivery, about a price change for shipping.
Farley said, “Then it went to $191. But I figured, that’s it. I mean, that’s the time right now everybody’s getting charged this and whatever they’re going to pay on it. I figure they’re paying something too.”
At the same time, Farley was hit with a 25% Ocean/Port congestion surcharge of $239.18.
“I had to laugh. What’s this a joke? So then it started looking around and that’s what’s happening. All the fees on everything are going up,” Farley said.
Farley says Christmas décor is wiped out of stores, with many suppliers saying they won’t restock until 2022.
He started his display over 15 years ago, after a trip to Disneyland on Veterans Day. Farley is a Vietnam war veteran.
“We walked in, they had a giant tree up. All the buildings had the garland and I went, ‘I don’t want to leave.’ So after a couple of days, it went well. I’m on a mission. When I go home, I’m going to start my own Disneyland,” Farley said.
It takes Farley, with some help, three months to set up. The wonderland features everything Christmas, including Santa’s log cabin, a fairy garden, six-foot-tall nutcrackers. Plus dozens of Christmas trees decked out in ornaments and lights.
Farley has spent tens of thousands of dollars, including much of his surfboard memorabilia of boards he shaped himself. Farley is on a mission to bring holiday cheer.
“The smiling faces are watching people come through the door and they have never seen it before and they walk in. I’ve had women cry, just tears, come out crying and give me a big hug and get hugs. So it’s really, yeah, it’s a lot of happiness and a lot of warmth here, which is really nice,” Farley said.
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