On the back roads of Vestal is a four-mile stretch. And along it, there's one family in particular who is crazy about Christmas.

"Right after Halloween. There have been years I have decorated before."

A longtime resident on Underwood Road, Sadie Purdy is a lover of the holiday season.

"Any chance I get to do any Christmas related activities I love it," Purdy said.

It's not unusual to see Sadie and her family out decorating well before the holiday. But this year, the Purdy's wanted to do something different.

"I thought it would be great to kind of get the neighborhood together and see if anybody would do this. And the response was really kind of overwhelming. Everyone was excited to take part in this and spread some holiday cheer this year," Purdy said.

Holidays on the Hill is what they're calling it. Sadie simply asked neighbors to join in, lighting up their homes for all to see. And together, more than 20 homes participated. Thousands of people caught wind of the idea on social media. So now, visitors are driving by just to get in the holiday spirit.

"They were already saying, there's gonna be a Santa Claus out here! So they're having a good time," said Fred Wales, an Owego resident.

Santa and his faithful elves handed out candy canes and even received some Christmas wish letters from children who stopped by.

"There's a whole variety of things kids want these days. So these parents are in for a treat," Purdy said.

Bringing some light and joy to a year that has been difficult for many. Santa will be handing out candy canes every Saturday until Christmas from 6 to 8 p.m. near 605 Underwood Road in Vestal.