A McKinney couple whose annual holiday lights extravaganza attracts visitors from all over North Texas will now get to shine in the national spotlight. Dr. Nasheel Joules and her husband, Mark Cornetti, will compete on ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight on Thursday, December 5.
The Joules-Cornettis will be one of four families around the U.S. vying for a trophy, $50,000, and major bragging rights. The episode will air at 8 pm on WFAA-Channel 8. (It will follow the season 12 premiere at 7 pm, which will feature a Rockwall family.)
“Our Christmas lights are not done to be the biggest and the best,” Nasheel says humbly of the spectacle that’s so big and bright it can be seen from an airplane. “Our display is done, with love, to show the community the love of God and to inspire people to be joyful and have hope even when life is difficult.”
Nasheel and Mark, for whom life has been exceedingly difficult the past few years, call their display “The Gift of Light” and use it to fundraise for the American Heart Association.
The spectacle fills the lawn around the house.Photo courtesy of ABC
Light in dark times
Joules, a 45-year-old internal medicine physician, suffers from congestive heart failure, as well as a rare autoinflammatory disorder called CAPS disease. (Read her entire harrowing health story here.) She can no longer work as a physician due to her health, but now works with the American Heart Association to help doctors better understand congestive heart failure.
Mark, who sells custom homes, has remained steadfastly by his wife of 12 years, including through some scary weeks last year when they thought she might not survive through Christmas.
“The symptoms of CAPS disease are largely triggered by cold temperatures, among other things. We could no longer do all the fun things most people do at Christmas time,” Nasheel says. “No outdoor carriage rides, no parades, no outdoor tree lighting ceremonies, no outdoor Christmas villages, no visits to hot chocolate stands, no strolling through the park to see Christmas lights.”
Decorating their own home on the corner of Palermo Way became something fun they could do together, and although neither had ever created an “extreme” Christmas lights display before they started, they’ve let theirs grow exponentially since they first flipped the switch in 2015.
Mark and Nasheel talk about fundraising for American Heart Association with host Taniya Nayak.Photo courtesy of ABC
“Decorating became a way to not only bring a Christmas wonderland to us, but to keep our spirits up, renew our hope, and remind us of how blessed we are, even during challenging times,” Nasheel says, adding in jest, “plus, how I can pass up the opportunity to tell Mark what to do for weeks on end while decorating (all I can do is supervise, he puts in all the labor!).”
Their display, which covers the entire multistory house and surrounding lawns, has a little bit of everything - inflatables, wireframe items, yard art, and dazzling lights, all grouped by sections. The “elegant” section is a subdued, serene section that gives people a chance to reflect on the season; a “fun” section has inflatables, reindeer, Santa Clauses, penguins, polar bears, some Disney characters, and new this year: a Buc-ee’s inflatable mascot.
The section Mark and Nasheel are most proud of, they say, is their “nativity” section, which houses traditional manger scenes and crosses. “We also have a box where people can leave their prayer requests. We go through the requests every night and pray for them,” Nasheel says.
In 2022, “The Gift of Light” raised $2,000 for the Autoinflammatory Alliance. In 2023, it raised $6,500 for the American Heart Association. This year their goal is $10,000 for AHA.
“We honestly don’t know how many visitors we get. We don’t even advertise,” Nasheel says. “We just post videos and pictures, and it kind of goes viral.”
TV spotlight
For years, people had told Nasheel and Mark they should be on The Great Christmas Light Fight.
“We had watched the show several times. But we were like, no, that’s not really our goal or purpose for our display,” Nasheel says. “But in 2023, after being in the hospital for so long, and being diagnosed with cachexia and not really knowing how much longer I’d be alive, we decided to look into the show.”
They were first contacted by the show in June 2023 and auditioned by video in July.
Nasheel and Mark looked festive for their video audition in July.Photo courtesy of Nasheel Joules
“In the audition, we had to look festive, with decorations behind us. We had to make sure to be fun and engaging, which we were,” Nasheel says. “But also, when the interviewers heard the story of why we do our display, we brought everyone to tears.”
They found out at the beginning of September that they were chosen for the show and that filming would be on December 3 and 4, 2023.
“We had so much to do to prepare, it was overwhelming,” Nasheel says. “Of course, with my health, I couldn't do much. And we’re usually a two-man show (me and Mark). So Mark got the neighbors involved in helping make new decorations for the roof, and assembling other new stuff. Mark was literally still doing some finishing touches on the display until 5 minutes before filming began.”
Filming the show was a lot of fun, they say, and in just two days together, host Taniya Nayak and the rest of the cast and crew became like family. In fact, when they wrapped up and said goodbye, the house felt empty. They’ve now had a year to reflect back on the surreal experience and will finally see the result on TV.
Mark and Nasheel talk about their lights display with host Taniya Nayak.Photo courtesy of ABC
“What Mark and I loved most was getting to show our love for each other,” Nasheel says. “The producers really wanted to show our love story.”
The couple can’t disclose anything about the outcome. Their bigger focus now is making sure the lights are on for visitors to enjoy in person each day through New Year’s, and to meet their $10,000 fundraising goal for the American Heart Association.
“Our wish is that our display brings people closer to God and offers hope and joy,” Nasheel says. “For those who are saddened during the holidays because of tragedy or loss, we hope our display brings back hope and joy and the spirit of Christmas.”
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The Great Christmas Light Fight featuring the Joules-Cornetti family airs at 8 pm Thursday, December 5 on ABC. “The Gift of Light” display is at 8624 Palermo Way, McKinney. It runs nightly 5-11 pm, November 28-January 1; follow their Facebook page for updates and information on donating to The American Heart Association. For more information on local Christmas lights, go here and here.
Photo courtesy of ABC
Nasheel and Mark with host Taniya Nayak.
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