Click below to dive into what made this holiday display and yearly tradition of nearly a half-decade so special. And meet the man who made it happen.
This website was created for one reason; to keep Bern's displays alive, to showcase his near-half century of incredible art, and to inspire future generations through his displays. While photos will never do the live display justice, this site is a place to come, remember and celebrate the greatest Christmas displays ever made.
This website was created for one reason; to keep Bern's displays alive, to showcase his near-half century of incredible art, and to inspire future generations through his displays. While photos will never do the live display justice, this site is a place to come, remember and celebrate the greatest Christmas displays ever made.
This is why you're here! Click any photo below to be taken to a full page of photos celebrating the unique display from that year. We are continuing to work with Bern's family and the community to provide photos from every year of his beautiful Christmas displays and even more of the existing. If you have photos or videos, please share them. Directions are at the bottom of the site.
From website creator, Brian Kunnari: "I was born in 1974. The same year that Bern started his display on Kathleen. My aunt lived on the street behind Bern which is how my parents found his display. I think I only missed about 4-5 years during the entire 40 years at that location. I can definitely say that this display was one of the most impactful things in my life. My father and I created one of the largest light displays in the Valley around 1988-1994 at 51st Ave and Onyx in Glendale. That would have never happened without Bern's influence.
In 2006, my father and I started purchasing characters from Bern's displays for our own homes. And what a year to start! 2006 was one of my favorites. From 2006 - 2011, we had collected a total of 22 pieces. In 2017, we combined all of the figures into my home as my dad's fight with dementia took hold. We were featured on Fox 10 News and moments later, a car pulled up. It was one of Bern's daughters who lived just a few miles from us who had seen the live shoot. We immediately connected.
This is the moment that resurfaced an old conversation I had with Bern around 2008 which was creating a website to show off all his great displays. He liked the idea but at that time, technology didn't make this easy and life got busy. Now, connected to Bern's family, it was time to get back to this idea.
Now, in 2021, we are finally launching this site and I couldn't be happier that after 15 years, it's finally a reality. My family also continues to display all 22 pieces of Bern's artwork in Peoria. While it will never compare to Bern's incredible displays, they are his art. And we hope it gives you just a bit of the nostalgic feelings of pulling up to Bern's home each Christmas. Click the link below for our address and we hope to see you outside this holiday season."
From fan and website creator, Brian Kunnari: "I was born in 1974. The same year that Bern started his display on Kathleen. My aunt lived on the street behind Bern which is how my parents found his display. I think I only missed about 4-5 years during the entire 40 years at that location. I can definitely say that this display was one of the most impactful things in my life. My father and I created one of the largest light displays in the Valley around 1988-1994 at 51st Ave and Onyx in Glendale. That would have never happened without Bern's influence.
In 2006, my wife and I as well as my dad, started purchasing art pieces from Bern's displays for our own homes. And what a year to start! 2006 was one of my favorites. From 2006 - 2011, we collected a total of 22 pieces. In 2017, we combined all of the figures into my home as my dad's fight with dementia took hold. We were featured on Fox 10 News and moments later, a car pulled up. It was one of Bern's daughters who lived just a few miles from us who had seen the live shoot. We immediately connected.
This is the moment that resurfaced an old conversation I had with Bern around 2008 which was creating a website to show off all his great displays. He liked the idea but at that time, technology didn't make this easy and life got busy. Now, connected to Bern's family, it was time to get back to this idea.
Now, in 2021, the site is now a reality. My family also continues to display all 22 pieces of Bern's artwork in Peoria as way to pay tribute to his incredible work while also inspiring other with his art that will never be duplicated. While this tribute will never compare to Bern's incredible displays, is is all his art. And we hope it gives you just a bit of the nostalgic feelings of pulling up to Bern's home each Christmas. Click the link below for our address and we hope to see you outside this holiday season."
Our goal is to keep collecting and adding more photos, videos and memories you have of Bern Rix's incredible displays. Please help us grow! If you have any photos or videos, please share them with us and we will be sure to add them to each year's page. Our hope is to have 1,000's of photos on this site in the coming year to celebrate every piece of art Bern created at his home. We also welcome photos of Bern's work that you may have purchased and now display in your own yard. We look forward to hearing from you!
Thank you for contacting us! Remember, if you are sending over 12mb of photos, please use a transfer service like WeTransfer.com to ensure we receive them. We will always confirm any photos that were sent to us. If you don't hear from us in a few days, please try resending.
Having issues? You can also email us direct at SantaBernInfo@gmail.com
Note that you can only email about 12mb of pictures. If you are trying to send us larger files, we suggest the free service WeTransfer.com. Drag and drop your photos then share the link with us to easily download the items.
Santa Bern: A Tribute to Bern Rix
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