Perhaps it’s happened to you. You and the family drove or flew somewhere out of town for Thanksgiving and returned home to Birmingham. As your plane landed or you approached “malfunction junction” downtown, you looked at the city skyline and saw the Christmas symbols on the Regions Center building.

It is one of the surest signs that the holiday season has arrived in the Magic City.

It seems like the building has always been beaming out the Christmas spirit with the images.

Alabama NewsCenter asked John McGowan, head of facilities for Regions Bank, about how the Birmingham skyline is defined by the building during the holidays.

NewsCenter: What was the genesis of lighting the building for Christmas? When did it begin?

John McGowan: During construction (1968-1971), a light tube was placed in a small area above each window. The lights were originally designed to illuminate the building every night year-round. During the energy crisis later in the 1970s, the year-round lighting was suspended in support of energy conservation.

During the late 1970s, the building was owned by First National Bank of Birmingham and Southern Natural Gas. It is said that, during that time, a gas company executive visited Houston, Texas, during the holidays and saw a building with a similar ‘curtain wall’ design. The building featured a Christmas display through lighted windows. Upon his return, the executive described the display to others and led an effort that resulted in the holiday displays we know today.

NewsCenter: Have the images always been the same or have they changed? Any plans to change them in the future?

McGowan: In 1991, the building displayed an American flag and the letters ‘USA’ in support of those serving during the Gulf War. In 1996, when Summer Olympic soccer was underway at Legion Field, the lights were changed to display an Olympic torch and the Olympic Rings.

A golfer image on Regions Center welcomes the Regions Tradition golf tournament each year. (Zack Sylvan) “USA” and an American flag was on what is now Regions Center during the Gulf War in 1991. (Ross Callaway/contributed) An Olympic torch marked the city’s participation in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. (contributed) An Olympic torch marked the city’s participation in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. (contributed)

The senior chief operating engineer of Cushman & Wakefield, the facilities management company serving the Regions Center, designed the Olympic display. And he still supervises the maintenance of the holiday display each year.

Starting in 2008, the building displays a golfer each spring as part of our celebration of the Regions Tradition golf tournament.

NewsCenter: How are the images created?

McGowan: The images are created by placing various colors of ‘gel sleeves’ that slip over the white light tubes above each window. The lights are all white; it’s the color from the gel sleeve that forms the design. The concept is simple, but the process of updating and maintaining the displays is manual. The onsite maintenance team begins working on the display three to four months ahead of illumination to complete the process and check all the lights before the switch is flipped to turn them all on.

Regions Center lights up each year for Christmas. (Jeremy King/contributed) Regions Center lights up each year for Christmas. (Jeremy King/contributed) Regions Center lights up each year for Christmas. (Jeremy King/contributed) Regions Center lights up each year for Christmas. (Jeremy King/contributed) Regions Center lights up each year for Christmas. (Jeremy King/contributed)

The holiday displays are turned on the day after Thanksgiving each year and remain on until midnight Dec. 31.

The golfer is on for 30 days surrounding the Regions Tradition. Once the Christmas season is over, engineers begin work on the golfer display to be ready for the Regions Tradition in May.

NewsCenter: How does it feel to be such an anticipated part of the season and the signature element of the city’s skyline during the holidays?

McGowan: We love to hear stories from customers, community members and Regions associates who share how their families come downtown each year to see the lights on the Regions Center. Today, we see people post photos of the Regions Center on social media with captions describing the holiday season in Birmingham, and we are honored to be a part of that.

Below are some of the Twitter shares:

I love how cute Regions Bank decorates for Christmas each year in downtown Birmingham. pic.twitter.com/0DLdLodpm1 — Jason Roach (@JasonRoach77) December 15, 2014