John and Danielle are carrying on the family tradition! For three generations, the Copelands have spent the fall decorating and the winter enjoying happy times with friends, family, and strangers. Click here to read about 40 years of our Christmas tradition.
From Thanksgiving until Christmas, we welcome visitors to tour our house and watch our computerized light display. Tune your car radios to 87.9FM to hear the music and watch the lights!
Check out the blog for real time updates.
How long does it take you to do this?
We work on various projects throughout the year. In mid-October, we spend
2-3 weeks setting everything up, then have a lighting ceremony for neighbors
and family during Thanksgiving weekend. The computer synchronization takes
10-20 hours per song!
Where do you store it all?
We rent two storage units at Safe and Sound Storage.
How long did it take to collect this stuff?
It's from John's grandparents, parents, brother, and Dec 26 clearance
sales. Contrary to popular belief, Christmas is not our favorite day of
the year....December 26th is!!!
How do you come up with all these ideas?
We spend a lot of time on the computer talking with fellow Christmas decorating
enthusiasts. Check out Planet Christmas to get inspired. We also spend
a lot of time "re-purposing" common building store supplies.
Other sources of inspiration include: Disney, malls, animated movies,
department store window scenes, etc. Most of our inspiration comes from
family though.
How many lights do you have?
In 2006, we didn't count (oh my!)
In 2007, over 36,000
In 2008, over 40,000
In 2009, over 60,000
How much does your electric bill increase?
Not as much as you'd think. Since adding the computer animation, the bill
has decreased because each light is only on for a small portion of time.