Western-Star.com

The glow from thousands of colorful lights shining from a holiday village nestled on a hill near Morrow nearly melts away the frost of a cold December night.

The Christmas Ranch plays host to Santa's Toy Shop, the Wise Men Library, the North Pole Post Office and even the Naughty or Nice Saloon, all covered with more than 350,000 lights.

Visitors are welcomed to drive through the holiday light show located at 3205 Waynesville Road and even stop and have a warm drink. Proceeds from visits are donated to the Ronald McDonald House.

It's hard for creator Mike Fuchs to choose a favorite among the dozens of animated displays spread out more than 110 acres.

"I love the dancing forest," he said, pointing to a row of trees made of lights that spin and sparkle to the sounds of Christmas music. "But, I also think the leaping arches are great, as well as the toy factory."

The Christmas Ranch, a secret Warren County hideaway, blends technology and tradition by combining state-of-the-art computer programming, lights, music and life-size figures to create old-fashioned holiday magic.

"Visitors keep coming back because they say it reminds them of Christmas when they were kids," Fuchs said. "It's great to see families come and share this together."

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4542 or mrossiter@coxohio.com.