2026December
The Robinson family story began in 2020
The show began during COVID in 2020, moved from our family home, and found a new home at Rexburg Rapids in 2025. A simple way to share Christmas joy grew into a city tradition we never imagined.
Move toward 2021 to see more of the family home. Move toward 2025 to see more of Rexburg Rapids. These are two different locations.
Meet the Robinsons
We’re the Robinsons. In 2020, we set out to give our community a little Christmas joy that families could enjoy from their cars.
The show has traveled far beyond our front yard, but the reason we make it has never changed: to create something fun, magical and free for families to share.
We’re grateful to our neighbors, the City of Rexburg, and everyone who has helped this family idea become a community tradition.
Here’s how it beganOne family.
One simple idea.
A little Christmas joy.
A little Christmas, when it was needed most
With so much closed during COVID, the Robinson family wanted to share the spirit of Christmas with the community. A light show gave people a reason to get out, enjoy something together, and remain safely in their cars.
There was no plan for a citywide tradition. The family simply wanted to give people something joyful to look forward to.
“We just had no idea what it would actually become. It was not on our radar!”
Rick Robinson, remembering the beginning
The family display · Imagination
The family home was the stage, and Imagination was the season's theme. Rick spent months making props, attaching lights, and programming the display, with his four- and five-year-old children eager to help.
Rick could hear children cheering from inside their cars. The drive-up format also welcomed people who could not easily take part in other Christmas activities. Even then, the purpose reached beyond the display: give families a few joyful minutes together.
Read the 2021 family profile
An unexpected invitation · The Rexburg Tabernacle
As the show grew more popular, traffic around the family home increased. Complaints became heated, and the Robinsons made a heartbreaking decision: end the home display and bring the Robinson Family Light Show to a close.
The family was deeply sad to let it go, but they understood their neighbors' concerns. The show brought joy to visiting families while disrupting the people who lived nearby. As painful as the decision was, the family accepted that it was time to end.
Then the City of Rexburg's Cultural Arts department reached out. The City did not want the tradition to disappear and invited the Robinsons into a Christmas partnership where families could gather as a community.
That invitation gave the show a future. On November 27, 2023, Rick and a volunteer crew brought the lights to the Rexburg Tabernacle for the City's Lights ON! celebration. After the downtown tree lighting, the evening continued at the historic building with the light show and Madison High School choirs on the front steps. The City had given the show a public home and a future the family no longer believed it had.
To the individuals in Cultural Arts who reached out: you know who you are. Our family will always be grateful that you saw a future for this tradition when we thought its story was over. Thank you for helping keep it alive.
Watch the 2023 Tabernacle filmFrom the family archive
October preparations and November nights at the Tabernacle. Select a photo for a closer look.
Porter Park · Luminosity
With an exterior overhaul planned for the Tabernacle in 2024, the building was no longer an option for the show. The search for another location led to Porter Park. There, the City of Rexburg and the Robinson family brought Luminosity to the November 30 holiday kickoff, alongside the tree lighting and Christmas Village.
The Porter Park season became by far the most challenging in the show's history. Repeated damage and vandalism created a constant struggle to keep the show running. Thousands of dollars went into security in an effort to prevent further damage.
The toll went well beyond the cost. Something that began to bring joy to the community had become so difficult that the family questioned whether they would ever do it again.
Then another possibility was suggested: Rexburg Rapids.
Explore the 2024 city announcement
Rexburg Rapids · Noel
Rick was not excited when Rexburg Rapids was first suggested. A visit changed that. As he walked through the site, he began to see what it could become, especially when he noticed how many power outlets were available.
The possibilities started to take shape. After the uncertainty of Porter Park, the Rapids proved to be the perfect fit. It became the home of the Robinson Family Light Show for the foreseeable future.
Rexburg Rapids at Riverside Park became the setting for Noel. The December 1 community kickoff brought the show together with tree lighting, activities, and a shuttle connecting the park with downtown stops.
The Rapids facade filled with color, framed by illuminated trees and blue beams above the roof. Every night ended with Noel by Tommee Profitt and Stanaj, the performance Rick describes as the heart of the show.
Watch the 2025 Noel performanceThe tradition
continues.
The next chapter
Long before opening night, there are ideas to test and pieces to build. A September behind-the-scenes update offered one glimpse of that work: a bracket that took four hours to print, with 39 more still to make.
Join us at Rexburg Rapids in December, Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. There is no show on Christmas Day. Our final show night is Thursday, December 31, New Year's Eve. Admission is free for everyone.
Go behind the scenes for 2026