For 25 years, people in Iowa have had a Christmas display that comes to them in the form of The Christmas Truck.

Pictured to the right (click on the picture for a larger view) is the 2009 version of The Christmas Truck: an example of holiday spirit on wheels that was born out of one man driving a generator and a few strings of lights to his church in a $50 used pick-up.  Inspiration hit him while transporting the lights, and now for 25 years Kris Marshall has brought amusement to the residents of Dallas and Polk counties in Iowa.

Mr. Marshall told Jalopnik that he has used eight different trucks over the years, but it’s always a 2WD Chevy/GMC with a regular cab and eight-foot truck bed “the way a truck ought to look.”  It probably doesn’t hurt that he is also a GMC dealer.

Current estimates say that the truck has around 3,000 lights on it, and in the daylight it is a horror show to look at due to all the electrical wire and tape criss-crossing the vehicle.  It is, as you can guess, illegal to drive with a vehicle like this, however he has only received a few tickets over the years as most cops are in on the joke now.  We wouldn’t recommend tempting the law in your area though.

What are some of the craziest displays of Christmas lights you have ever seen?