Could Christmas Lights Unite Canyon Lake?

Canyon Lake resident Travis Rohwedder believes a bridge across the lake would make life a bit easier for those living on both the north and south sides.

Christmas lights would help, too.

Rohwedder knows from personal experience how holiday lights bring people together and evoke happy memories in kids of all ages, especially 35- to 70-year-olds.

He hangs Christmas lights for up to 70 mainly New Braunfels residents and business owners every holiday season. They pay between $250 to $8,000 for him to bring his own lights, hang them on their homes or trees, then remove them after the first of every year.

“I’m a geography major who went to school at Texas State,” he said. “The one thing that brings everybody here together is he one thing that separates everyone. That’s the lake. You’ve got to go all the way around the lake to see friends or go to a business.

“It’s so crazy. You drive down a road and you don’t know if there’s any houses because they’re tucked up there in the trees. I think Christmas lights, especially at night, are going to make people say ‘hey, check it out.’ I think that’s something that would help bring the people in Canyon Lake together a little bit.”

Unfortunately for the holiday-minded, Rohwedder is booked solid. Anyone who’d like to book his services for the 2020 holiday season is advised to make reservations early next year.

He said estimates are free — the first question people ask is how much he charges for services. So he’ll show up, measure rooflines, discuss trees and offer suggestions about how to decorate.

Most people prefer the old-fashioned C9 lights from their childhoods. They have green wires with lights that are spaced 12 inches apart.

“Christmas was a good time,” Rohwedder said. “Maybe not for everyone all the time but, in the grand scheme of looking back on it, it’s one of those deals where you can’t help but think of the good times when you think of Christmas.”

One of his former clients even suggested a slogan for his Christmas business: “Let me bring the manmade stars to you.”

His business is largely word-of-mouth — he doesn’t market his services except for a Facebook page his wife sometimes manages.

“I tell everybody if you want references, I can give you a book of them all the way up to the mayor of New Braunfels.”

To make a reservation for next year’s holiday season, email Rohwedder at trohwedder@gmail.com.