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Frequently Asked Questions 

 

  1. Are you a commercial Christmas light company?
  2. Is this a drive thru show?
  3. How many lights are there?
  4. Did it cost a lot to create the display?
  5. How long does it take to put up the lights?
  6. How much is your electric bill going to be?
  7. So, do you just add a song, and the computer decides when to flash the lights?
  8. Hey, I saw that (insert home store) is selling a kit to do this.  Is that what you guys bought?
  9. Can you do this for my house?
  10. Do you accept donations?
  11. Can I see how this thing works?
  12. Aren’t you afraid the whole house is going to burn down?
  13. Why aren't you on the Christmas light decoration shows?

Are you a commercial Christmas light company? Nope. This isn’t a business and we don’t put up displays on people’s homes like you’d see in the Dyker Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. It’s just two homeowners that enjoy Christmas lights.

Is this a drive thru show? The show is a collection of 4 single family homes on North Kensico Ave. You're welcome to drive on our street but we recommend that you eventually get out and also walk into the backyard of 21 N. Kensico Ave so you can see the Winter Village and see Santa.

How many lights are there? We estimate over 10,000 individual lights but we don’t pay attention to the how many we have...it’s more important with what you do with them.

Did it cost a lot to create the display? Not really. Many of the props are built from scratch using inexpensive items. Take for example the giant gumdrops on the porch roof – they’re cheap beach sand pails that are upside down with a string of C9 clear bulbs underneath attached to some strips of woods.

How long does it take to put up the lights? I think you’ll be surprised it only takes two people and three days to setup the display. You’ll notice that the house doesn’t have a garage so there’s no where to store big, bulky items. Everything is designed with storage in mind and ease of setup too.

How much is your electric bill going to be?  Believe it or not, the electricity bill from our first show year was lower than the previous non show year.  If you think about it, most normal Christmas light displays get turned on at dusk, and stay on all night.  Ours blink on and off, so they are off a lot of time.  Plus, we utilize energy efficient LED lighting.  So, electricity cost isn't an issue. Anyway – it’s worth the cost just to see a kid smile while spending time with their family.

So, do you just add a song, and the computer decides when to flash the lights? It's automatic, right?  Oh, we wish!  The largest part of the entire project is sequencing the lights.  It's an entirely manual process.  Each time a light goes on or off, we have to tell it to do so, using the software.  And, we don’t just flash things randomly.  We try to use the lights like another instrument in the music.  It takes a minimum of about an hour for every 30 seconds of song you hear.   Needless to say, by the time we are done, we know the music very well.

Hey, I saw that (insert home store) is selling a kit to do this.  Is that what you guys bought? No.  The equipment we use is professional quality, specialized for holiday lighting, and not something you pick up at the local hardware store.  We have 144 channels of light, the all-in-one kit has 4, and you can't change the songs or how the lights flash.  Plus, the music sounds kinda cheesy.

Can you do this for my house? We're not going to say no, because if someone throws enough money our way, we would probably say yes.  Just know, it would have to be a lot of money.

Do you accept donations? Some light displays ask for charitable donations but we don’t. I personally don’t like someone’s choice of fundraising being a source of guilt-tripping spectators that just came to see pretty lights. There are many deserving charities that can benefit from a donation from you at any time during the year. Make sure your entire donation reaches its destination by contacting the charity directly. You will not be approached during your visit to our display and asked for money. If you'd like to help and defray the cost of the free hot cocoa offered in the Winter Village, you can contribute at the cocoa station in the box provided.

Can I see how this thing works? Sure.  If you see us standing outside, come up, introduce yourself, and say the secret phrase, “Hey Light Guys!  I like flashy things.  Show me how this works!”, and it shall be done.

Aren’t you afraid the whole house is going to burn down? I use commercial grade, UL508 certified light controllers and specialized software to make it all happen. Light-O-Rama is a New York state based company so the system’s home-grown. Each song typically takes about three or more hours to program. One computer manages all the controllers, the music, and the videos. The system is safe with no chance of overloading circuits or wires. My house is over 100 years old; I don’t want to upset the old lady.

Why aren't you on the Christmas light decoration show? We turn them down when they contact us because we don't do this for a trophy, cash prize, or to be in the Guiness record books. We do this for you and your family.