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St. Pete man spreads Christmas cheer with bright 64-foot sailboat 'tree'

At night, the boat shining bright on Tampa Bay can be seen from the sky.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — With Christmas just days away, a St. Pete man is making sure visitors to the Tampa Bay area get some Christmas cheer on their way in.

"It's tough times for people...so anytime you can find bright spots like that, I think we all need to make our effort," Brian Hill said.

If you have trouble getting ahold of Brian Hill, there’s a good chance he’s on "The Other Line," his 64-foot sailboat, which has seen a transformation in recent weeks. 

This year, "The Other Line" is lined up and down with colorful lights, with a wreath on the bow.

“There's not a lot of people with a 64-foot Christmas tree in their backyard,” Hill joked.

At night is when the show truly begins, the mast shines bright over Tampa Bay in the dark sky. Hill’s neighbor, a commercial pilot, says it can be seen from the air as planes arrive in town.

“It’s sort of my welcome, a Merry Christmas to people coming into the Tampa and St. Pete airports and the neighbors when they cross over the bridge here. They see the lights of the boat, and they always feel like we're home,” he added.

For Hill, it feels like a new Christmas tradition is popping up on his slice of the bay.

“The tree idea is going to be a mainstay, I’m sure though. And that's not a sailing pun, but it is,” Hill said. “Merry Christmas to everybody, and keep up the holiday cheer.”

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