SoFloChristmas

the granddaddy of the display is our synchronized musical light show which starts on the hour and half hour (starting at 6:00 PM and ending at 11 PM (midnight Friday & Saturday). The music is played on outdoor speakers (if you wish to park your car and walk around the display - but please don't block any driveways of area residents) or you may tune your radio to 97.7 FM to hear the music from the comfort of your car. The outdoor speakers turn off at 10 PM but the last light show begins at 10:30 PM (11:30 PM Friday & Saturday) and may be heard on your car radio. The show begins on the first Sunday of Advent (at sundown on Saturday after Thanksgiving) and ends on the Epiphany or All Kings Day (twelve days after Christmas Day). For Advent/Christmas 2021 we will have more than over 100,000 lights, synchronized to Christmas songs. We have snow machines, 40+ inflatables, a mega tree, numerous "blow molds" (those plastic figurines), a crèche or manger scene, a "tree forest", virtual Saint Nicholas and much more. We moved into our home in November of 2001. That year we put out a single strand of lights and one "nutcracker" inflatable (now retired). The following year, having been settled into the house a bit longer, we added a few more lights and inflatables, which were very popular and easy to find in the stores during those years. As each year progressed, we added a bit more. But it was not until by chance we came across an internet community called Planet Christmas (www.planetchristmas.com) that things really began to take off. We learned through fellow Christmas decorating enthusiasts at Plant Christmas that not only did many, many other people throughout the world share our passion for the meaning of Christmas, but they shared a desire to express that passion through decorating and that this "community" had a forum to share ideas and best practices. We also learned that a new product was on the market called "control boxes", giving residential application to what before had only been available to large entertainment empires like Disney World. Through the use of these control boxes, you were able to synchronize the lights to music of your choice. WE WERE HOOKED!!! We bought our first control box from a company named Light-O-Rama (www.lightorama.com). That was 2006 and we had one box. Each year we have bought two (2) additional boxes, each of which can control sixteen (16) separate strands of light(s) and various "effects" (dimming, shimmering, intensity, etc.). We now have twelve (24) control boxes and thousands of individually controlled channels. In 2007 we even attended an bi-annual convention sponsored by Planet Christmas called PLUS (PlanetChristmas Lights Up Symposium)! Incredible! People from as far away as England and Australia coming together for break-out sessions on various decorating ideas and tips (inflatables, lights, synchronization, blow molds, wire frames, indoor decorating, water shows...you name it.). Since then, we've also attended a couple mini-PLUS events, smaller versions of the bi-annual convention held locally in Florida. Today we have grown to 100,000 synchronized lights, 40+ inflatables, giant ornaments trimmed in the trees, and countless visitors each year/day. We have neighborhood foot traffic, people visiting by car from distant cities, nursing home vans, motorcycle clubs, all enjoying our humble act of giving during a session known for giving all sorts of gifts, from gold, frankincense, myrrh and even the gift of song by a "little drummer boy". We have been covered in the Miami Herald, South Florida Sun Sentinel, on television and even been asked by network TV to participate in a national television program. The company we use is called Light-O-Rama. They sell “control boxes” and proprietary software that makes all this possible. To do this not only requires that you purchase the equipment, but it also requires many hours of programming the individual lights in your yard to the songs you choose. But the results are well worth it! Each control box has 16 "channels" which are individual plugs you can control a different set of lights with. We have 24 boxes with thousands of individually controlled channels. We also have RGB flood lights, pixels, and bulbs (Red, Green & Blue). By varying the intensity of each color, we can make each individual bulb/light any color imaginable! Each RGB bulb requires three (3) channels to control it. We have 8 RGB floods, a 500 RGB bulb mega tree, and 500 leaping arches pixels, for a total of 3,232 channels being controlled by our computer. Our passion for celebrating Christmas and for sharing the joy we have in our hearts over its meaning really is a yearlong endeavor. We are planning almost year-round, working on projects, thinking of new things to do, and programming the computer. But to put the lights up and the display together takes about a FULL month. We start the day after Halloween and have it already to go the first Sunday of Advent (usually the first Sunday/Saturday night after Thanksgiving). We have over 7,000 feet of extension cords in our display. Over 1 mile. If every light was on at once, the control boxes can draw and are plugged into separate circuits for 270 amps. But one of the advantages of synchronizing your lights to music and of the Light-O-Rama control boxes is all the lights are rarely on and if they are, it is for a brief second. You also can regulate the "intensity" of the lights. For example, you can designate a given "burn" at 80% so it would in fact only draw 216 amps with little noticeable difference in how bright the bulbs are. Usually about 20%-30% or about $50-$75 per month. This might be less than you expected. Another advantage of having a synchronized show to music is instead of a steady burn of the lights all night on most homes, synchronization moderates the amperage/watts used and conserves energy because the lights are on and off throughout the show. We have approximately 100,000 lights. We will have 40 individual inflatables in our display. Each year we must retire some of our oldest inflatables, which after years of use become very faded and fail to inflate fully. Therefore, we are constantly replacing old inflatables with new ones. The inflatables are controlled by the Light-O-Rama boxes as well so they may be activated at will during the day and/or during the synchronized show. We deflate them during part of the light show so that you can fully see and enjoy the lights but reactivate them towards the end of the show. The north pole is a large PVC pipe purchased at a home supply store. I used red duct tape wrapped around the pole, which slips perfectly over a concrete pole barrier installed to protect the fire hydrant from cars. I drilled holes in the pole and inserted closet rods which I painted white. I used wood fence sections painted white and cut to the appropriate size, hung from chain link from each closet rod inserted through the drilled holes in the PVC pipe. I topped it off with a plastic round outdoor lamp dome. These trees (eighteen minis and four "tweenie" vertical trees) have two colors of LED lights. The base of the trees are small wreath easels commonly used at cemeteries or "vegetable trellises". The lights are attached to the structure with zip ties and progressively wrapped around until they are full (approximately 180 lights for each color). The tweenie trees (new in 2009) are made from vegetable/tomato trellises, are 4' high and will be "vertical" trees, meaning each of their two colors will be split into a top, middle, and bottom section, each being able to be lit separately. The FM signal you receive in your car is transmitted through a very low power transmitter (making it legal) which can be purchased through several retailers, either in a kit or assembled. I purchased the kit from a company called Ramsey Electronics, which required significant soldering. But with patience and time, it was not that difficult. The transmitter I purchased (FM100B Standard Super Pro FM Stereo Transmitter Kit) allows you to pick a frequency of your choice but because of the low power, you need to be able to find a frequency where no other signal is being received. The large ornaments have been purchased over years at Christmas stores, Big Lots and wherever they can be found. We used hanging basket "S" hooks purchased in packages of two (2) or three (3) from a home supply store. One tree is adorned with multi-color ornaments and the other tree has only silver ornaments. A new addition in 2008 to the soffit around the house, this project was made using the bulk ornaments you can find at warehouse and discount stores, using a soldering iron to put a hole in opposite sides of each ornament, and stringing them together to form garland. We have more than 80 feet of this gingerbread house "garland" which adds to the beauty of viewing our display during the day. Something which everyone seems to love (new in 2010) is our "virtual Santa" in the bedroom window off our side yard. Part of our plan was to get more people to explore that part of the yard and while we expected children to especially love this new addition, we had no idea how much (and even a lot of older "kids" like it too). Our virtual Santa is so realistic I almost hate to spoil the fun, but it's relatively simple. A product purchased from ChristmasLightShow.com, is simply a special DVD projected on a white shower curtain in the window.