News & Updates

See & read about what is going on in the Warm Beach Camp & Conference Center community

The Lights of Christmas by the Numbers

Behind the twinkling lights and breath-taking displays, there is an incredible amount of careful planning and preparation that goes into the execution of The Lights of Christmas each year. The following information is a collection of interesting (and sometimes fascinating) statistics we have compiled about The Lights. The next time you need a conversation starter, feel free to drop a few of these numbers into your conversation.
(Note: Unless otherwise specified, the information is based on annual numbers.)

General Event
18 – Days The Lights of Christmas is open in 2008
20 – Cords of chopped firewood used each year to keep our guests warm at the fire pits
93 – Days it takes to set up the event. Set-up begins the day after Labor Day and lasts until opening night
475 – Kilowatts of electricity used. The highest measure in years past was 510 kilowatts, before transitioning to more LED lights
844 – Entertainers delighting guests with a variety of music and drama since 1997
18,000 – Light strands, enough to stretch from Warm Beach to Qwest Field
31,500 – Lights used on the “Bill Burr” tree next to the Mountain Scene
75,000 – Zip ties used in hanging the decorations
125,000 – Printed pieces of publicity (brochures, rack cards, posters, etc.)
1,200,000 – Lights, at least, that is where we stopped counting

Guests
6 – Continents visitors have come from (all but Antarctica)
7,062 – Farthest number of miles traveled by a guest (New Zealand)
44,017 – Guests who attended The Lights in 2007
500,000 – Approximate total number of guests attending The Lights since 1997

Volunteers Last Year
53 – Largest group of volunteers, brought by Day Creek Chapel, Sedro Woolley, Washington
587 – Volunteers who donated their evenings to the event
2,300 – Shifts worked by volunteers over the entire event
20,000 – Volunteer hours of set-up and during the event

Food Consumed Last Year
.42 – Miles of hot dogs, if laid end-to-end, consumed. That is 2,225 feet or 890 pounds
80 – Gallons of sparkling cider served at the Dinner Theatre
283 – Gallons of Ivar’s Clam Chowder consumed
1,500 – Pounds of dry cocoa mix, enough to make 852 gallons of hot chocolate
4,157 – Pounds of meat consumed – rib tips, prime rib, chicken, fish, etc.
34,000 – Plastic gloves used to serve food
65,700 – Hot, fresh, mini-donuts consumed

When Abundance Happens

“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. ...

Outdoor Education!

The Outdoor Education Program at Warm Beach Camp offers schools a safe platform for their students to explore and grow as individuals, while surrounded by rich biodiversity. During “The Great Pioneer Skills Challenge” class, a middle school student was interested in attempting to make a quilting square. The individual had always been curious to sew but had no one to show them the way. Through trial and error and the help of volunteer staff, the child completed the sewing task ...

Welcome Natasha and Madison

Madison Smith joins the Warm Beach Camp Ministries team as a Light Technician for The Lights of Christmas. Madison comes to us with ten years of management experience, which includes Starbucks and Godiva. While her natural leadership skills were a perfect fit for a corporate job, she began yearning for a more meaningful workplace. She was hired in August 2022 as part of The Lights of Christmas installation crew. While working here at Warm Beach, she could feel the presence ...