MARIETTA, Ga. — Cars steadily drove through the campus of Life University , a school of about 2400 students in Marietta. Drivers pumped the brakes to stop and see bears, elves, snowflakes, a dragon and Santa Claus himself. Dozens of trees dot the landscape, with nutcrackers standing behind them. More than a million lights go into Lights of Life , according to organizer Jared Franklin.

"I'm the guy who puts up all the lights," Franklin said. "We're talking over a million. A lot of these displays are over 40 years old. They're all super big, super heavy. It's very challenging. It takes six to eight of us two months to put this whole light show up."

Franklin starts stringing up lights in September. He and his father took over managing the display a few years ago.

"We do a petting zoo,

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