CHristmas 2021

Christmas 2021 display was up and running on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. This view from the street gives an overview with all the favourites (Santa's Reindeer Farm, The North Pole, the Trains, Elf World and the Nativity Barn) as well as new elements this year (Candy Land, the South Pole and the Gnomes) with, of course, the usual synchronized light display. For more pictures, click the read more button below.

Taking a clockwise tour starting in the driveway, we first see the North Pole with elves working hard to load all the presents - Santa is taking the sleigh out for a test ride in the background.

Continuing on, we see the runway for the deer to take flight along with the reindeer paddock in which they live. Rudolf is standing proud with his bright red nose...

Completing the left side of the display, you can see our Nativity Barn ready for the arrival of Baby Jesus. He will be there from Christmas Eve....

Looking to the right of the drive, in the background you see our ferris wheel complete with a few characters, and a huge St. Bernard keeping watch on the display....

Looking closer you see the railway display with trains running Friday/Saturday/Sunday weather permitting. Unfortunately both rain and frost (let alone snow!) play havoc with the electrics and thus in bad weather the trains will not run.

To keep our watchdog happy, we have our own dachshund (Castiel) who has his own space in the display next to the walk-in viewing area and bench. If you are lucky, we might even be sitting out there next to a fire pit.

Next to the seating area is a new feature for 2021 - Candy Land. As with all our displays, this will surely expand next year.

As you drive down the street, no doubt the Nutcracker caught your eye and then the three magnificent gnomes dominating the driveway. For context, the middle one is nearly 12 feet high and all three are created on trees that grow there.....

Continuing back to the street you come to one of our older displays - elf world. They are busy working away at Santa's Toy Factory, stringing up lights, and enjoying their own small Christmas Tree.

And finally you will reach the South Pole - new this year with penguins and snowmen with igloos to live in. And, yes, there are a few polar bears too! But, I hear you say, don't Polar Bears live at the North Pole? Well, if you were a polar bear and wanted to go on vacation for Christmas, where better to visit than the South Pole and a change to meet some penguins (I bet the Penguins go to the North Pole on their holidays too!).

And, of course, you can stand back and look at the light show. Here are a few answers to some of the most commonly asked questions...

How do you do it? I use hardware and software from light-o-rama and I build the sequences myself. There are 64 separate channels of lights controlled by a computer in the house sending signals out to the controllers. The music is also played through the computer, and I have a miniature FM station (legal, low power) that broadcasts for about a 250' radius and allows you to listen in your car.

What about that tree that shows pictures? Its often referred to as a mega tree - it has 400 individually controlled RGB lights that can be any colour or brightness. I use software to build my sequences and they are all home made. It takes 2-3 days to fully do a regular song, depending on how complex I decide to get. My favourites are Merry Christmas Everybody with the sleighs and Christmas Tree, the Polar Express, and then Nutrocker (just because it has the craziest lights!). Oh, and if you watch Feliz Navidad, see if you can figure the languages in which I wrote Merry Christmas - I'll guarantee one of them is one you haven't seen before!

How many lights are there? You know, I have never bothered to count. At a rough estimate it's between 25,000 and 30,000, but if you want to count them and let me know that's fine by me. By way of context, each of those upper windows on the house have 500 lights on them, so the count goes up quickly! I do know there are over a mile of extension cords! And there are 3 dedicated outdoor 20 amp circuits to power it all. And, yes, it does impact my electricity bill quite significantly, even with LED lights.

How long does it take to put up? At least 7 full days working in the garden, in rain, wind and (occasionally) sunshine.

Where do you store it all? The North Pole, of course!

We are often wandering around outside, so if you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

So here are a couple of views with the lights on. You can see the mega tree with a picture of Snow Miser...