It was a scene straight out of a Hallmark movie.

Every year, Bethany Associates—a company with 30 years of experience that specializes in window cleaning, powerwashing, gutter cleaning and other home exterior services—donates a free Christmas light installation to a local resident in need of a pick-me-up. Last year's recipient was a woman whose military husband was serving in Japan and unable to come home to celebrate the holidays with her and their four young children, all under the age of 8.

Bethany's technicians decided to make the occasion as memorable as possible, so they dressed up as elves and told the children they were sent by Santa Claus to bring some Christmas magic to their home. They even went out on their own, bought presents and wrapped them for the kids. Santa then arrived to sing carols with the family and their relatives and friends, before counting down the unveiling of the beautiful light display.

"The kids were blown away, their mom was crying and the neighbors were really excited. It was just the best," recalls Jared Barton, the co-founder, president and CEO of Bethany Associates. "It doesn't get any better than that. That's why we do what we do."

Community support has always been a cornerstone of the company, and so has creating a family atmosphere among its staff. That's why Bethany expanded into Christmas light design and installation four years ago, so that its seasonal employees could be retained during its shoulder season and not face layoffs.

The additional service has taken off, as families dealing with the hectic season can focus on shopping for presents and planning holiday parties instead of untangling lights, pulling out the ladder from the garage and putting themselves at risk of injury.

"Everyone knows the holiday season can get overwhelming with the to-do lists," Barton says. "The beauty of our Christmas light service is that we are your elves, making your life a little easier. With a 15-minute call, you coordinate design concepts, and we literally take care of everything from there. You won't have to even mess with the light timer. Our elves are like magic: One moment you have a quiet home, and the next you have lights, wreaths and garland sparkling and bringing joy to your family and neighborhood."

While homeowners have plenty of options for Christmas light installation these days, there are several major differentiators between Bethany Associates and its competitors. One is the safety element: The company is OSHA fall protection-compliant, and unlike almost all other organizations offering this service, its installers are harnessed and protected when working on the roof, preventing injuries for the workers and claims on the homeowners policy for the clients.

Additionally, Bethany Associates custom designs each project and uses commercial-grade products with better quality than can be found at the big box stores.

"Our lead designer is an artist bringing her passion for color, vibrancy and composition to our team of designers," Barton says. "The results are custom beautiful displays that fit your vision with guided assistance, well beyond what consumer items and weekend efforts can produce."

And while many people dream of a white Christmas, if storms arrive and cause damage, Bethany's crews will come right out to straighten a wreath or re-hang lights. Those same teams will be back in January to take down the displays and store them for use next year.

Barton loves the reactions that the Christmas lights elicit, such as past giveaways honoring veterans, police officers, fire fighters, first responders and a children's home. This year's theme is a bit different.

"It's a traditional American value to support the people who hold the community together," he says. "Those are the people who do it. But they're not alone—your grandmother also holds the community together, which is why we're honoring great grandmas this time around. It's all about family. These are the things that get forgotten, and Christmas is a time to remember."

Even with regular customers, the feelings surrounding holiday displays is hard to put into words. Many clients have recently lost a loved one and the lights bring them much-needed joy.

"One of the things we love about this is that it puts everybody in a great mood," Barton says. "We hear about terrible tragedies and the lights being an awesome encouragement to people that is truly bringing them hope during a difficult time of the year."

Barton encourages homeowners interested in the service to get on the schedule soon, because it fills quickly. Bethany Associates starts doing installs in mid-September and continues all the way through the week before Christmas.

Even after three decades in business, the company still never takes any customer for granted, and Barton hopes every client feels like they can trust Bethany Associates.

"There are a ton of Christmas light installers out there," he says. "We've been around for a long time, so we understand the value of someone choosing us, and we like to say thank you when we're done. We're going to take care of people, and if they're happy with the service, we would love to take care of their home for the rest of the year with our core services."

Bethany Associates
Hammonton, N.J.
(609) 561-3353
BethanyAssociates.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 26, Issue 4 (September/October 2026)
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