Christmas display lights up north end

By Caroline Rosacker

Tiane and Jeremy Tews, and their children, Joe and Claire, of Guttenberg are lighting up the north end of River Park Drive, sharing their love of all things Christmas in a fabulous, tastefully decorated holiday light display. 

Tiane, the mastermind behind the lights extravaganza located at 103 Washington and North First Street (but can be viewed from River Park Drive), is the daughter of Jean Meester and her late husband, Leon. She grew up on a farm near Parkersburg, and has lived overseas – in addition to Chicago, Houston and Minneapolis.  "We are an airline family, and not shy of moving. My husband calls me a professional mover," she said with a smile. "My parents purchased a home on River Park Drive and are weekenders. My husband could have been located anywhere, but we decided to move closer to family." 

Tiane, who loves to travel, spent time working as a professional nanny in Europe, and chose a career as a flight attendant. "I was a flight attendant for a small airline in Minnesota. That's where my husband, who is a pilot, and I met," she explained.  

The spirited interior and exterior decorator draws on a lifetime of experience. "My mother always took the initiative to decorate, and allowed me to help. I can remember removing old wallpaper in our house," she recalled. "She and I do a lot of holiday painting, for all the holidays, on re-purposed items. She used to teach classes. She is very crafty, and I admire her talent." 

Christmas curb appeal is at the top of the Tews' list when considering a real estate purchase. "Every time we move we add more Christmas lights to our collection!" she laughed. "We love multi-colored lights and went against the all-white trend when it was popular. I have slowly replaced all the older lights with LED's, which are much brighter, energy efficient and longer lasting. Our current home doesn't have much landscaping but we do have a nice fence and a couple of decks." 

The self-described Christmas addict has downsized her interior decorating. "I used to have several trees decorated in our home, but have downsized to two," Tiane commented. "I swapped out decorations this year and purchased new ones locally at Blooming Branches. I have an entire tree dedicated to vintage airplanes. We do a lot of traveling, so everywhere we go I collect a new Christmas ornament. I am a professional packer and don't like to drag a million bags through the airport so my purchases are small."

Tiane listed her downsized collection on social media and gave away 50 percent of her collection to a family in need. "I gave my mom all my red decorations, because I am doing all white this year," she noted. "Our big 'Frosty' came from Costco in Chicago! I just had to have it! He was not easy to set up."

Tiane enlisted Claire, her six-year-old daughter, to assist with the outdoor display. "I picked a nice warm day, so we didn't even need a coat. It took all day!" she said. "The lights are set on timers so the glow doesn't bother the neighbors while they are trying to sleep. My husband wanted to outline the roof, but I had to say no – that was over the top."

In the past, the Tews homes were able to accommodate a 12 ft. artificial tree. "Our current home's ceilings weren't tall enough for our big tree. We also had to add storage to house our growing collection," she commented. 

Tiane ushers in the holiday season for her family's benefit. "I decorate and make our home welcoming for my family, especially my husband, because our time together is limited," shared Tiane. "He loves Christmas! He used to host a large holiday party for his college aviation friends. Unfortunately, because of the nature of his job, he is generally not home for Christmas. The children and I often travel to wherever he is at so we can be together. He sings, 'I won't be home for Christmas – you can't count on me.' We celebrate together at home on a different day." 

Load up your loved ones and drive by the Tews spectacular holiday display. If you keep heading north you can circle around Norman Kopecky's longtime iconic display. "The children get a kick out of watching people drive by, slam on the brakes and take a longer look. We are also seeing more neighbors get into the spirit. It's so nice – and brings us so much joy!" she concluded.