When Jeff and Jennifer Cayer deck out their Lakeland home for the holidays, they typically keep it understated.

“We usually go for simple white lights on the front of the house,” Jeff explained to Patch. “We’re very subtle… and generally extremely conservative with our lighting.”

However, after Hurricane Milton severely damaged their home in October, stripping part of the roof, the couple, both educators, chose to “go big” this year.

Perched atop their home at 1836 Tristram, there’s now a 14-foot inflatable Godzilla, seemingly attacking the storm-damaged section of the roof. A single line of vibrant, rainbow-colored lights outlines the roof, disrupted where Godzilla stands.

“All the lights are perfectly aligned along the roof, except where Godzilla is,” Jeff noted. “There, the lights are dangling and hanging.”

In their front yard, an inflatable Santa stands ready with a slingshot, aiming presents at the towering green monster.

“No charities. No synchronized music. Just Santa slingshotting presents at a Godzilla on a crushed house,” Jeff said, adding, “It’s not much, but some folks appreciate the creativity.”

Having lived in this house for over 30 years, where they raised their now-adult daughters, the Cayers’ home was the only one on their street to suffer such significant damage from Milton. 

A “beautiful oak tree” in their front yard split, crashing onto the front of the house, demolishing the porch and garage. The rest of the home, however, remains habitable. Post-storm, both trees were removed, leaving stumps and a torn-up lawn.

“Our house looks terrible, and our yard looks terrible. We decided to emphasize that our house looks terrible,” Jeff said. “We’ve turned it into a disaster scene.”

This season, Godzilla has already caused a bit of real havoc when it blew off the roof due to loose screws, flying off on Monday.

“A neighbor came over and said, ‘Santa one, Godzilla zero’,” Jeff recounted. “We quickly reattached it.”

With the widespread hurricane damage across Tampa Bay this year, Jeff believes their unique holiday light display might strike a chord with many.

Their home, located on a cul-de-sac, doesn’t see much traffic, but “we’ve already had people driving down the street to see it,” he said. 

Jeff invites anyone interested to come by and see the spectacle.

“We’re just showcasing the Christmas spirit. This year, it’s all colors with a 14-foot Godzilla,” he concluded. “It’s unlike any other light display you’ll see.”

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(Image credit: Jeff Cayer)