

"The music is broadcast over a low power FM transmitter right to their car radios," Mike Cole said. Many people who use music in their Christmas displays incorporate radio technology to keep the tensions to a minimum. Quicklist: 8title: Pacify Neighbors With Radio Wavestext: It's possible that blasting the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Wizards in Winter" on repeat for the entire month of December could tick off a neighbor or two. They all got together and they all were like, 'Can't beat 'em, join 'em.'" Lucy Spata, who started the Dyker Lights phenomenon, wasn't so accommodating. Fred Loya has restricted his light show to only three times a night on weekends, rents port-a-potties and hires a clean-up crew to pick up trash after the show. And sometimes rightfully so - not everyone likes the increased traffic and noise that your house will bring to the neighborhood. Quicklist: 7title: Get Ready for Resistancetext: One of the biggest issues with putting up flashy holiday decorations is that it can bring out the Grinches in your neighbors. It takes 8 to 10 hours to program one minute of music." So with 400 channels to manage, most of the time it takes to do these shows is in the programming in the off season.
Simple christmas light displays software#
"It's software that you program to tell the controllers in the yard what to do, as in on, off, fade up, fade down, shimmer, and twinkle," he said. He purchases a program from a company called Light-O-Rama to control the lights. Or, Learn by Doingtext: Mike Cole, who puts on an amazing Christmas light display in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, says he just started fiddling around one year and his show has grown more and more sophisticated each season. He also brings in electricians, and sound technicians, hires off duty cops to control the crowds, and flew in a computer programmer from California for his Christmas spectacular. Fred Loya contracted his maintenance chief to produce his amazing Christmas lights show, and the man spent the entire year searching for the best people who could help put on the most spectacular show possible. text: Putting up a spectacular Christmas display isn't easy. Quicklist: 5title: Bring in Professionals. You can even take classes in animatronics and "megatrees." If you are really hard core, think about attending the annual Christmas Expo in July, where decorating professionals and companies gather to show off the latest trends in Christmas decorating. "That's all she lived for was decorating her house for Christmas," she said. Lucy Spata, who started the Dyker Lights phenomenon, came from a family of decorators and wanted to keep the tradition alive for her children to follow. Quicklist: 4title: Get Inspiredtext: The people with the craziest Christmas light decorations often have a story or tradition behind their lighting displays. At least three different tour companies bring hoards of people through the neighborhood every night. Every December, more than 100,000 people come to see the over-the-top displays of "Dyker Lights," in the Brooklyn neighborhood of that name.

Quicklist: 3title: Anticipate the Attentiontext: Christmas lights bus tours are becoming more common. "And see if it brings a sense of satisfaction to people that come by and see it, and then just go from there. "Start with a few lights and see if they like it," Fred Loya recommended.

Quicklist: 2title: Start Smalltext: Don't bite off more than you can chew on your first attempt at an amazing Christmas light show. October and November then is dedicated to the computer programming." And then we start putting up the lights in August. "Right around the beginning of July we plan the music. "We start planning for it in July," Loya said. But Fred Loya starts even earlier – in the dog days of summer. Sam Bilas has one of the most impressive and ostentatious Christmas displays in all of Brooklyn, and he starts decorating in September. Quicklist: 1title: Start Earlytext: It's best to get a jump on the season, and don't even think about starting after Thanksgiving if you want the best house on your block. Check out tips below, including advice from Loya, Cole and more. If you hope to join their ranks, it's not too early to start planning for next Christmas. Some of this year's most ornate displays include Fred Loya's home in El Paso, Texas, the "Dyker Lights" display in New York, Mike Cole's home in Cour D'Alene, Idaho and displays by neighbors Jeff Norford and Bobby Morris in Charlottesville, Va. 21, 2011 - intro: They might be in your neighborhood, or in the town next door: Grand, elaborate Christmas displays that light up the block for the holiday season, sometimes drawing thousands of onlookers.
