Nestled somewhat off the beaten track in Shelton, a town just west of Olympia, sits a glowing Christmas surprise. Homeowner Stephen Spring, the one-man operation that is the Christmas Wonderland, has been cultivating this attraction for 15 years, though in its current form it has been in operation for only five years.  

Spring said he'd always enjoyed decorating for Christmas, and he recalled "my neighbor said, ‘you've got so much land, you could make your own park.'" Inspired by childhood visits to the now-defunct Never Never Land attraction in Tacoma's Point Defiance Park, Spring combined his love of Christmas decorations with his land and created a one-of-a-kind, eclectic Christmas experience.

From the main road, the attraction looks like an ordinary house with above-average Christmas spirit. But past the house, through a large peppermint (inflatable) arch, Christmas carols fill the air and light spills out of buildings scaled to one-quarter inch dotting a trail lit up by strings of lights.  Inside these buildings - houses, post office, gas station - sit Christmas figurines, many with moving parts. Santa dominates.  Diorama windows on an out-building of the main house show scenes from "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."  

A white picket fence decorated by toy soldiers, which separates the main trail from a yard area filled with lights and inflatables, acts as a sort of staging area - a beginning. From here, illuminated windows on more diminutive buildings and strings of lights illuminate groomed trails leading in multiple directions.  One trail leads to a section devoted to Nativity scenes.  Another trail leads to Spring's small petting zoo with mini donkeys and occasional sheep which can be fed from bales of hay Spring has nearby.  

While on rainy days, the trails get a bit muddy; they're well groomed and short enough for most of the smallest walkers.  Spring said on clear weekend nights he has carols and a bonfire in one of the clearings; to this point this year Spring has been daunted by weather and a recent hospitalization.  He's hoping for improvements in weather and traffic to the attraction so he can keep it open in coming years. "It's a hobby and a business for me," he explained. He said he's had some people helping with setup, but he added, "it's just me, and it's a lot of work to do."

Spring's hard work, pride, and Christmas spirit shine through the park like the strings of lights illuminating the trails through the attraction. Key attractions like the fiberglass Olive the Other Reindeer that had been a Nordstrom holiday display some years ago, and an Area 51 Aliens' Christmas attraction show the extents to which Spring's collecting hobby took him.

Spring's Christmas Wonderland (11 SE Channel Pt. Rd., Shelton, 360.580.3602) is open daily, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; admission is $6 for adults, $4 children 4-17, and free for children under 3.