Two local veterans and their families were surprised with something on Tuesday that brought them some holiday cheer.
It’s an annual tradition for a Waukesha company to provide free Christmas lighting and decorations to homes of the brave.
One of the homes decorated belongs to a Cedarburg resident whose house is now the brightest on the block and decked out in red, white and blue lights. The military family knew a company was coming to their house to do something special, they just didn’t know what.
During the cold winter months, a Waukesha work crew stays busy installing Christmas lights and decorations. The only difference at their Cedarburg stop, it was free of charge. Bryan Meyer works for Swimming Pool Services out of Waukesha, a company that picks two local veterans to help out in a small way.
“We take nominations through a lot of people we talk to,” he said.
Meyer and three others spent hours hanging Christmas lights at the house.
“We work on the roof, we do windows and we do also our trees and shrubs so we try to either wrap them or do canapé wraps or things like that,” Meyer said.
Meyer said it’s a job that comes with a smile.
“We try to make sure we put our hearts into it and we want to make sure they enjoy it,” he said.
As day turned to night, Army veteran John Stuhlmacher and his two young kids came home to hundreds of bright lights.
“It’s something I can’t do real well anymore and seeing something like this, having someone do it for you, it’s nice,” he said.
Stuhlmacher served 16 months in Iraq and now works with a local team that prepares to respond to natural disasters. While the kind gesture was the last thing he expected this holiday season, Stuhlmacher is thankful people in southeastern Wisconsin respect and honor the sacrifices he and other military members continue to make.
“We didn’t serve for this, but it’s nice to know that people appreciate it,” he said.
The other veteran whose house was decorated resides in Waukesha.
