The
Evolution Of Our Display
2006 Setup
Number
of Lights:
Approximately 40,000
Controllers:
11 - Light-O-Rama 1602W
(176 Channels)
Three controllers on the porch.
RF Data Connections:
4 LOR Easy Light Linkers
Beats data cables through walls.
Number of Extension Chords:
Approximately 350
Chord bundle coming off the roof.
Running power under sidewalks..
We attached
a hose to the end of a PVC pipe and -- PRESTO -- worked it clear under
in about three minutes.
.JPG)
2005 -- Our Final Static Display
Our display has grown steadily year by year for the last dozen or so. Our first year of outside decorating consisted of changing the white light bulb by the front door to red or green. Pretty exciting, huh? But it was a start, and to this day some of my favorite displays are the simpliest. For example, if you come to visit our display you'll also see some of my favorite displays anywhere done by our neighbors -- tasteful, attractive, personable, and very well done.
So after just changing one light our first year, we decided to add a string of white lights to the bush on either side of our steps the next. After that it wasn't but a year or two before we were putting light strings on all the bushes. A year or two later we were putting C9 multicolored light strings along the gutters. At least the low ones. Not long after that we were throwing a few strings on the small trees as well.
Then we discovered "simple insanity."
"Simple insanity" is when you look like you're going completely overboard, but what you are doing is actually really quick and simple. And there's a secret to it that I've only told a handful of people, but that I'm going to share with you now -- YARD LIGHTS! That's right. All you have to do to look like you've really gone overboard is start putting lots of things out in the yard itself. A half-dozen spiral trees gets things started. Add a dozen or two small trees and people will start thinking you've gone insane. Yet it's simple, fast, and effective.
So how much time do you think it took me and my son to put up the display in the photo above? One short day, plus we did the deck and back yard as well. Simple insanity.
2006 was not so simple nor fast. I spent close to 100 hours programming the feature song (Christmas Jam by Trans Siberian Orchestra) during December 2005 and January 2006 alone. And we spent the better part of three days trying to get the rope lights on the top part of the house and porch roof right during set-up, which took at least twice as long as expected. In total we had about 10 man-days in putting up the lights and hooking up the controllers.
But hopefully you will agree it that was worth it.
Son, Nathan, and Son-In-Law, Darren.
It's starting to look like all I did was take pictures.
The mini-trees, three deep, eight wide, one octave.
AND THANKS ALSO
to
Signs Plus in Des Moines...
