For many, Christmas lights are a favorite part of the season. But they can be a lot of work to put up (and remove), so many families end up turning to companies that offer this service professionally. That was the case for one South Carolina family who wanted to get into the Christmas spirit, particularly for their son with autism. What they didn’t know is that a simple call to a local landscaper would turn into an unexpected holiday surprise.

When Aaron Brazell, owner of Omega Landscaping in Lexington, South Carolina took a call for holiday lights from the family, he says his heartstrings were pulled. They were calling for a quote for holiday lights and it came up in conversation how much their autistic child loved them.

“When I gave them the quote, they told me it was more than they thought it would be,” Brazell recalls. “They were going to turn down the service.”

Brazell says he was touched by their story and wanted the family to be able to enjoy some lights for the holidays.

So, he installed them for free.

Spreading holiday joy

Holiday lights bring a lot of joy to a South Carolina family.Aaron Brazell

“Christmas is a time of joy for a lot of people and I realized this was an opportunity for me to give some joy and inspiration to a local family at the holidays,” Brazell says of the decision. “It’s been a very difficult couple of years for everyone and this was an easy way for me to give back.” 

Brazell says that the family’s gratitude made it all worthwhile. In fact, it has inspired him to find ways to do more good in 2022.

“This whole experience has me thinking about other ways that we can help the community in 2022,” he adds. “I think this is small businesses’ time to shine. Yes, we need to make money, but we can also think about what we are capable of doing to help the community around us.” 

Giving back in 2022

As we head into a new year, Brazell says that he would encourage other landscape companies to think about ways they can give back to their local communities. It doesn’t take much to make a difference, he urges.

“Just a little bit of time and effort can go a really long way,” he sums up. “If we all helped someone out, it would make a big impact.”