In a backyard of dreams beneath Arizona stars,
Two brothers found magic, no matter how far.
No sleighbells or fortune, no spotlight or fame,
Just Kyle and Sammy, two hearts in the game.
Long before a single light ever flickered, Kyle and Sammy Pratt believed in magic. Not the kind that comes from a snow globe, but the kind you build with your own two hands.
As kids, their favorite place wasn’t the beach or the mountains. It was Disneyland. Every year, their parents gave them a choice between a gift or a trip, and every year they picked the same thing.
“Disneyland was our escape,” Sammy says. “It was where we could breathe, imagine, and just be happy.”
Their father once told them, you’ve got what it takes,
But money’s not magic, it’s heart that creates.
So they painted and hammered through long summer nights,
Turning coffee can savings to shimmering lights.
For Kyle, that magic was personal.
“I was overweight as a kid, and I was bullied. I didn’t have many friends. I was homeschooled for a while and spent a lot of time alone. Disneyland was the one place where I could breathe. That feeling of safety and wonder… I never forgot it. I wanted to give it back to other people.”
From hurt came a mission, from darkness came drive,
To help others feel seen, to keep joy alive.
He carried that spark through each season and year,
A promise to others: you’re welcome here.
Back home in Paradise Valley, the brothers wanted to bring that feeling home. Their dad told them they could use the yard, but not a penny of his money.
“He said if we wanted something, we had to earn it,” Kyle recalls. “So we worked summer jobs, saved every dollar, and spent it all on wood, paint, and lights.”
They called their first show Christmas Forever. The audience that night was small but mighty. Their parents. And the mailman.
Each summer they gathered, a summit of dreams,
With pencils and papers and wild, glowing schemes.
Every summer became sacred. They called it The Pratt Brothers Summit. They would list fifty ideas, circle three, and dedicate the next year to making them real.
Fifty ideas, three circled in red,
A year of creation for stories ahead.
The lights grew brighter. The shows became grander. Word spread quickly, and by 2019, cars lined their street from end to end. Families drank cocoa. Children danced in the glow.
Not everyone loved the commotion (hence some neighbors and lawsuits), but their father’s words stayed true. “If you’re doing something special,” he told them, “someone will always complain. Keep going.”
From humble beginnings to crowds on their street,
The laughter grew louder, the joy more complete.
A sea full of headlights, a holiday stage,
Two dreamers still building with wonder and age.
By 2020, 5,0000 people filled their block in a single night. News cameras rolled. ABC called again about The Great Christmas Light Fight. In fact, every year since 2016, the brothers had turned down the network’s offer. This time, however, they said yes.
From wheelchairs came motors, from failure came spark,
They built their own ride to light up the dark.
It broke and it mended, again and again,
A story of grit and of family and men.
“We studied how the early Disneyland rides worked,” Sammy says. “We wanted to wow ABC, so we built a train using old electric wheelchairs. It broke a hundred times and we fixed it a hundred and one.”
They filmed in the Arizona heat, dressed for Christmas, surrounded by fake snow. When the judge handed them the trophy, it felt like their father’s lessons had come to life.
“He made us earn everything,” Kyle says. “And that made it real.”
A trophy in hand but a heart still on fire,
They dreamed of a world that could grow even higher.
From a front yard in town to a grand Christmas land,
They carried the glow with their own steady hands.
With their winnings, they moved to Rawhide in Chandler and created The Pratt Brothers Christmas Experience.
What started with plywood and coffee cans became seven million lights, train rides, cookie decorating, snowfall shows, live music, and a nightly parade.
“It’s not about how big it is,” Kyle says. “It’s about the heart. If a kid misses the train, I’ll take them myself. It’s about making memories.”
Ten years of believing, of laughter and song,
Of proving that heart has been guiding them strong.
Each summer they gather with notebooks and cheer,
Still dreaming like children, still building each year.
This year marks their tenth anniversary, celebrated with The Battle for Christmas, a live stunt show about two brothers restoring light to a quiet town.
In a full-circle moment, they’re even bringing back Billy and the Hillbillies, the same band they grew up watching at Disneyland.
“When I saw them setting up, I just froze,” Kyle says. “That’s when I realized we had recreated the joy we felt as kids.”
Their mom bakes the gingerbread, their dad gives advice,
Build something they’ll feel, not just something nice.
They smile and remember how far they have come,
Two brothers, one dream, and the love of their mom.
They still hold their Pratt Brothers Summit every summer. They still build everything by hand. Their mom still decorates with them each December. Their dad still tells them to think bigger, dream bolder, and stay grounded.
“We’ll always do Christmas,” Sammy says. “But next up is Halloween. And someday, a theme park. It’s not a dream. It’s a plan.”
Kyle nods. “If I could tell my younger self one thing, it’s that he didn’t need to fit in. He just needed to build his own world.”
And he did.
Because for the Pratt Brothers, Christmas is more than a show,
It’s the light that keeps shining wherever they go.
A story of heart, of belief, and of home,
A promise that magic will find those who roam.
And if you hold on when the world feels unknown,
The light, just like Christmas, will lead you back home.
prattbrotherschristmas.com
“If I could tell my younger self one thing, it’s that he didn’t need to fit in. He just needed to build his own world.”