Featured on the 2013 inaugural season of ABC's Great Christmas Light Fight, Team Mize lit up the Mickey Mouse Christmas House in Marinwood, CA each December for 40+ years Destination to some 10,000 visitors each December, this house has become a holiday tradition for many families spanning multiple generations. As natives of Marin, Patty and Les Mize are thrilled to be able to bring Christmas joy
with a Disney twist to the people of their community and beyond. What started as a fun way to display a burgeoning collection at Christmastime in the early 70s has turned into an annual Christmas display destination for families near and far that spans multiple generations. Les and Patty have raised six children, some of whom still reside in Marin, with the others not too far away, and are now enjoying four grandchildren. Les is known affectionately as Papa ‘Mic’ by his grandchildren, while his Marinwood home has been dubbed, the Mickey Mouse Christmas House. Les started collecting Mickey Mouse and Disney memorabilia in the mid-seventies after his first visit to Disneyland. He was so taken with every aspect of the magic kingdom that he began filling his home with toys and collectibles—not a bad hobby when you have six children. Already a long time fan of Christmas with festive light displays and other decorations, incorporating his growing collection became just another aspect of the Mize family holiday décor. This tradition has grown quite a bit over the years and it is most certainly a family effort. There are established “work-weekends” for major set-up and take-down, as it is a lot of work. Decorating starts immediately after Halloween and takes the better part of a month to put together. Patty has played a key role in orchestrating the decorations and accommodating Les’s new acquisitions, as he is still collecting!
