On the 300 block of East Works Street in Sheridan, it’s hard to miss the small house that looks like the pastels section of the Home Depot paint department exploded on it.
The chaotic and joyful Easter display is the work of Kaleb Yager, 24, the mastermind behind the decorations with the help of his mom Angel. Their over-the-top holiday displays all started about eight years ago.
The Yagers live across the street from Holy Name Catholic School, and every morning there was a pre-kindergarten student who cried because he didn’t want to go to school.
“He screamed and hollered and ranted every time he went to school, and it would upset Kaleb because somebody was unhappy,” Angel said.
Kaleb, who has autism, wanted to do something to make the boy smile and thought maybe Easter decorations would do the trick. They bought styrofoam eggs on sticks and some to hang from their tree to make a small display.
“I painted all these styrofoam eggs and I put them in the yard,” Kaleb said.
The Yagers decorated during the weekend and then waited outside the following Monday to see the young boy’s reaction.
“You could see him looking out the window when the car pulled up and he didn't cry,” Angel said. “He and his mom came across the street and looked. Kaleb waved at him and told him not to be sad and that school's fun. His mom started to park on our side every day and then use the crosswalk.”
Since those first decorations, the display has continued to grow and change, much to the delight of Kaleb and those who pass by. Recently, someone posted about the yard on social media.
“I didn't have Facebook because social media upsets Kaleb, so I had to join and find out what people were saying,” Angel said.
They were happy to discover how much people loved what Keleb’s doing. Angel encourages anyone who sees Kaleb outside to stop and say hi.
“He’s hard to miss, 6 feet, 4 inches, head-to-toe in SpongeBob apparel and smiling like he means it,” she said.
Kaleb Yager, 24, started his Easter display about eight years ago as a way to make people smile. (Courtesy Kaleb and Angel Yager) 
Kaleb Yager has been busy repainting styrofoams eggs for his Easter display. (Courtesy Kaleb and Angel Yager) 
The Yagers Easter display features four inflatables, more than 300 painted eggs in the yard and more hanging from the trees. (Courtesy Kaleb and Angel Yager)
Spreading Happiness
From the time he was small, Kaleb has always liked to make people happy.
“He doesn't like the ugly in the world,” Angel said. “It's just one of those things. When Kaleb was younger, somebody would get hurt on the playground and he would run to him real fast to help him up. He’s a gentle soul.”
His mom said Kaleb has an innocent outlook on life and appreciates the simplest things. Once after attending a baseball game in Billings, a family friend was complaining during dinner about a terrible call the umpire made.
Wanting to see her happy, Kaleb pointed out his dinner plate.
“He said, ‘Isn't this plate just the most beautiful plate in the world?’” Angel said. “It changed my friend and she said, ‘I shouldn’t sweat the small stuff.’”
Every year when it’s time for the Easter display, the eggs in the ground and those hanging from the tree are a mainstay, but other elements change.
“We have different inflatables and little figures,” Angel said. “Sometimes we put plastic eggs in the planters and put rope light underneath so it glows at night. It just depends on what Kaleb feels like doing.”
This year there are four inflatables.
An Easter bunny holding a carrot and surrounded by some eggs sits toward the front of the yard, while another bunny holding a basket hangs off the roof. There’s a 3-foot egg near the front of the house, while a 10-foot egg on the porch is new.
Angel told Kaleb to order a new egg to match the smaller one, but he got the much larger size by mistake. They made the most of it, putting a light inside so it glows at night.
Kaleb also wanted to paint, so they’ve been working on retouching the styrofoam eggs, which have faded thanks to the elements. He uses acrylic paint and often adds glitter. Some of the eggs also glow in the dark.
“I have to prepare to do painting,” Kaleb said. “I had to get some cups and paint and brushes. I have to be very careful about those delicate eggs.”
He uses a variety of colors but his favorite is purple, so there are eight purple paints and 14 different purple glitters.
Hand-Decorated
“It was great,” Kaleb said of the glitter. “It's sparkly, but I thought it was a little messy.”
The project has taken them some time and still isn’t complete as they have about 300 eggs total. They often do some painting after dinner in the evenings or stay up late on the weekends to do it.
At the base of the tree is a laser light ball that reflects off the eggs at night. There are also lights that wrap around the tree and others that wrap around the house. They’re controlled by a remote that allows Kaleb to change the color based on his mood. A few days ago the lights were purple, the following night he chose red.
Kaleb said the eggs are his favorite part of the display.
“Doing this stuff is my life,” he added.
When Easter nears, Kaleb figures out when it is for the year and they set up about a month ahead. Angel said setup is relatively easy and usually takes a few hours. The weather can lead to some challenges, though.
“Two years ago, we had an abundance of snow and then it froze,” she said. “I actually had to get a drill with a 18-inch drill bit, and drill through the ice into the ground. Kaleb would follow me and put the eggs in. Over the course of a month, the snow would melt. So then we had to re-drill. We did it three times that year.”
During COVID they had to rent a crane because when people learned that the eggs hanging in the tree included prayers for those dealing with the pandemic, people began dropping off their own eggs to go up.
Kaleb Yager decorates for every holiday. During Halloween he carves about 30 pumpkins. (Courtesy Kaleb and Angel Yager) 
The tree in front of the Yagers house is lit up during the summer, when they put out 48 pots filled with petunias. (Courtesy Kaleb and Angel Yager)
Anything To Make People Happy
And it’s not just Easter.
For Valentine’s Day, they decorate with lighted plastic hearts. During Halloween one of the grocery stores sets aside large pumpkins for Kaleb, who then carves about 30 a year with intricate designs. Set up near the pond by the tree, they each have lights in them.
For Christmas, Santa and his reindeer sit on the roof and Angel said they’ve rented a crane a few times to decorate the entire tree with lights.
“Well, I love Christmas,” he said. “That's a fun one. And of course, Halloween. Halloween is my favorite holiday because it's silly.”
As another way to spread joy, Kaleb enjoys making fudge and mini loaves of bread for family and friends during the holidays. This past Christmas he made 17 different types of fudge, and a banana-based bread that has fruit and cream cheese in the middle. For Valentine’s Day, there were seven varieties of fudge.
The Yagers keep their eyes out for decorations all year. They volunteer at the Holy Name Catholic Thrift Store and find many things there. They now have so many that Angel had to rent a storage unit to store them all.
Currently Kaleb is also busy preparing flowers for the warmer months. The plants start in his greenhouse, aka small bathroom in the house. And like the decorations, it’s not just a few flowers. Kaleb goes all out.
He plants petunias because he said they have a little smile in the center. Each one is planted from a seed he harvested the year before. There’s a variety of colors – purple, of course, along with orange, pink, yellow, white and pinwheels of various shades.
“I have 48 pots and then we have 14 hanging from the house, and somebody made me a hanging tree that I can put 10 hanging plants around,” Angel said. “It's a little overboard, but everybody loves them. Doing all this makes him happy. He likes spreading joy.
