Joy of Christmas

Richard and Melissa Richards of Decatur want American troops in Iraq to know they are being thought of this holiday season by them and others.

The couple decorated their yard and house off Crescent Drive with 14,400 Christmas lights in a patriotic theme to honor the troops.

The towering black maple tree more than 25 feet tall in the front yard is adorned with lights. Along the trunk of the tree, from the bottom to the top, is covered in red lights. The inside of the branches have white lights and an overlay of blue lights on the outer tips of the branches.

The exterior of the house is covered in white lights, and lighted reindeer figures bob up and down in the yard.

Neither Richard Richards nor his wife, Melissa, have family members in the military, but they said people often drive by their house and ask why it’s so patriotic looking.

“We just wanted to show that we approve of the troops efforts in what they are trying to do and how they don’t get enough credit,” said Richard Richards, who works at Caterpillar Inc.

With Christmas a couple of days away, many men and women in the armed forces won’t be home with their families and loved ones.

On Wednesday, Vice President Dick Cheney gave his personal message thanking the troops and wishing them a happy holiday during their deployment.

It was reported that Cheney told troops at Al-Asad Air Base in Western Iraq: “With Christmas and Hanukkah arriving, I know your thoughts naturally turn to home,” he said. “And your fellow Americans are thinking of you more than ever.”

The military reports the numbers of troops stationed in Iraq as 117,000 soldiers with the Army, 7,000 sailors with the Navy, 8,000 airmen with the Air Force and 23,000 Marines.

Of the Richards’ decorations and message, Melissa Richards, a Girl Scout and Brownie troop leader, said, “I just want our men and women home; enough is enough.”

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