by Breeanna Jent on 2015-01-08

More lights and more festive decoration. That's the motto for Colton resident Juan Gutierrez every holiday season as he decks out his 2007 Ford Expedition in Christmas lights. "This year I really ran out of space," Gutierrez said, laughing. "Every year I try to make it better." Gutierrez started decorating his car about four years ago and adds to it each Christmas. This year, the vehicle sported more than 2,000 bright, colorful lights, that number having grown from the approximately 1,800 that donned the car last year. Lights decorate the side mirrors, gas tank cover, along the door handles, in the center of each tire and decorating the chrome license plate cover. There’s even a string of lights underneath the car. The lights run off an electrical generator in the vehicle and are easily turned off and on. More lights were added to the car's front window, its hood, and its back window, said Gutierrez. Gutierrez said he's continued to decorate the vehicle through the years as his own personal way of sharing Christmas cheer. "When I was little, we didn't get a lot of toys being in a family of 12 brothers and sister," Gutierrez said. "So I wanted to do this not only for the kids but for everybody. I want to see the smiles on their faces.” He keeps the lights on through the holiday season - his hometown Colton is known for its festive celebration of the holidays, beginning with an annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and other festivities on Dec. 1, and including its annual Christmas Parade and Christmas in the Park event on the same Saturday morning in the middle of the month. "A lot of people like the car," said Gutierrez. He keeps it decorated until about the second week of January, taking the time to drive it around town. He said he's always being stopped. "I went to downtown Riverside this year, and you should have seen the looks on everybody's faces," said Gutierrez. "They loved it." Working six days a week as a mechanic in nearby San Bernardino made it a little more difficult to get the car decorated completely this year, but Gutierrez credits his daughters for their help in making it happen. "They helped me get it finished and I just love seeing people's smiles. That's why I do it. When you bring light, you're bringing hope." [END] 122012-CC: With Christmas on its way, most choose to adorn their homes with holiday décor in every size, shape and color, with many shrouding their homes with decorations to exude their Christmas spirit. Colton resident Juan Gutierrez had a different idea. Rather than decorate his house on Hunter Street, Gutierrez instead chose to go mobile, taking his holiday spirit to the streets with a car decked out in thousands of colored, twinkling lights. The vehicle— a 2007 Ford Expedition— is decorated with more than 1,600 lights, he shared. “This is my second year doing this,” said Gutierrez, who recently moved with his family— his wife Gloria, daughters Monserrat and Jacqueline, and son Juan Jr.— to Colton from San Bernardino. It took him a total of two days to complete the decorations, as he positioned the strings of lights along the edges of the car, around the windows, and even on the insides of each of the tires, taping down each individual light to ensure that it stays put, stated Gutierrez.“I wanted to do something different, that nobody else does, and that everyone admires, especially the kids. That’s why I do it— I do it for the kids.” Gutierrez shared that each night, he drives his car around the city, where he is stopped by those who see the car as it passes down the city streets, wishing to snap a token photograph. 12/26/13: Bedecked in lights, Colton resident Juan Gutierrez drives arguably the most festive vehicle in town. Each of the 1,800 colored Christmas lights that bedazzle his Ford Expedition are individually taped — in some cases, even stapled onto plastic, creating a merry and portable Christmas ornament that Gutierrez says catches the attention of all who see it. “Everybody comes out to see it. They love it,” Gutierrez said. “You’re never going to see another car like this in California.” Gutierrez has been decorating his car for a few years now, adding to it each Christmas. This year’s 1,800 lights rival last year’s 1,600; he added lights to decorate the vehicles side mirrors, gas tank cover, along the door handles, in the center of each tire and decorating the chrome license plate cover. There’s even a string of lights underneath the car. The lights run off an electrical generator in the vehicle and are easily turned off and on. It took Gutierrez a week and three tries to get the lights situated in a pattern he liked, he said. The twinkling car is how he contributes to spreading holiday cheer to the community — one known for going all out on Christmas: the city hosts several holiday-themed activities during the season, from a tree-lighting ceremony on Dec. 1 each year to an annual Christmas parade and festival in the park. “When I was little, we didn’t get a lot of toys being in a family of 12 brothers and sisters,” Gutierrez said. “So I wanted to do this not only for the kids but for everybody. I want to see the smiles on their faces.” Gutierrez has also made a point of driving the Christmas car to the homes of friends and others who are unable to travel to his home to see it. “I have been bringing it to friends who are disabled, who aren’t able to travel to see it and they can take pictures with it,” he said. When asked if he is ever stopped by police, Gutierrez replied: “I was last year but that was(so they could) take pictures.”