1. How does it all work?

Basically, we use a computer to play the music and turn the lights on and off in time with it. A little more detailed explanation follows:

Lights:
We have approximately 48,600 lights in our display with plans to add more next year. Our mega-tree has 9,100 lights alone! We plan to switch to LED light technology in the coming years to save on our electricity bill.

Controllers:
Controllers are the electrical devices we plug the lights into. The computer sends a signal over a network cable which tells the controller what channel to turn on, off, dim or twinkle. Our controllers are from Light-O-Rama which I bought in kit form and put together. We currently have 19 16-channel controllers for a total of 304 channels. Other companies that sell controllers are D-Light and Animated Lighting.

Cords:
You need a lot of cords to connect the lights to the controllers and the controllers to power. We have more than a mile of cords and will be adding more as the size of the display increases.

Computer:
We use a older desktop computer to run the show and a newer laptop to program the sequences on. The computer sends the signals out to the controllers over a network cable via a USB serial port - a special adapter converts the digital signal to one the controller understands. The computer also outputs the sound to the FM transmitter (103.9 FM) so everyone can listen in the comfort of their cars.

Software:
The software is what sequences the lights to the song, orders the sequences into a show and sets the time the show plays. We use Light-O-Rama's software package. Depending on the number of channels and complexity of the song, it can take quite a while to sequence a three-minute song. With 304 channels, it takes us between 12 to 20 hours to program the lights to the music.

FM Transmitter:
We use a small, low power Ramsey Electronics FM transmitter to broadcast music for the folks that visit us by car. we bought the transmitter as a kit and put it together. Since it's low power, a license isn't required. For those that walk by, we have small water-proof speakers hidden in the display that are hooked up to a 100-watt FM receiver/stereo amp.

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2. How many lights are there?

This is our first year decorating and we might have gone a little overboard. There are 48,600 lights in our display.

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3. How much does your electric bill go up?

We really do not know an exact figure. This being our first year putting up a Christmas display, we expect an increase but not as high as you might expect. The lights are controlled by computer, aren’t on all at once, and for those that are on, they’re either fading up or down.

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4. How long does it take to set up the display?

We have not tracked the amount of time we’re spent putting everything together but we did work all year long. We basically worked on a different display element each month. We start putting things in the yard on November 1st in preparation for starting the show on Thanksgiving night.

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5. Where do you store it all?

The majority of the display items are stored in the garage attic.

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6. How much did it all cost?

We don't know exactly. If we did we would probably not be very happy. It is not about cost but about our love for the holidays and the joy it brings.

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7. Do you take donations?

We have partnered with the Mid-Atlantic chapter of the Make-A-Wish foundation. One hundred percent of all donations goes directly to the organization. We know its been a rough year and everyone’s having money problems, but the Make-A-Wish Foundation make dreams come true for children with life-threatening diseases. Please give all that you can. Just for information, we empty the donation box each evening and have surveillance cameras operating around the clock to prevent theft.

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8. How do you send out the music?

We use a small FM stereo transmitter that broadcasts the music from our computer directly to car radios, just like your favorite radio station does.

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9. Why do you do this?

Some people have great reasons (religious, family memories, etc).  Our reason is pretty simple: It's a fun hobby that lets us combine our interest in computers, music and lights into something that brings joy to a lot of people during the holidays. We have many decorated houses around the neighborhood but we continually have people waiting to see our display.

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10. How do you make the lights flash?

We use computers and special software to make the lights flash to the music. We spend, on average, about 12 to 20 hours in front of the computer for every three-minute song in the show. With four songs, the show runs for 14-16 minutes before repeating.

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11. How much time do you spend planning the display?

Here at Stafford Lights, it’s been Christmas just about all year. We worked all year designing and building display items, picking music and programming the sequences. A display of this size is an all year effort.

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12. What do your neighbors think?

No complaints so far!  Many come by with kids or grandkids and take pictures in front of the yard.  Visitors can also help keep my neighbors happy by keeping the sound down in their cars, not parking in yards or driveways, not littering, and giving others the right-of-way.

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13. What's in your Christmas display?

A lot of custom made display elements such as a 27-foot mega tree, two 15-foot mega trees, eight 6-1/2 foot trees, 16 mini trees, and six leaping arches. All total, the light count comes to 48,600.

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14. I saw that house dancing to music on the Miller Lite commercial!  Do you use animation in your display?

We use Light-o-Rama controllers running off a dedicated computer to run it all.  We have 304 channels of computer controlled lights running this year.

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15. Your music was on my radio!  How do you afford your own radio station?

The music is transmitted to car stereos via a low-power FM transmitter that we assembled from a Ramsey Electronics kit. We broadcast on FM 103.9 up to 500 feet from the house.

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16. What are you planning for the future?

With 2008 being our first year. we basically worked to get an initial display up and running. We hope to get much more creative over the coming year, so join us then to see what we come up with.

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17. Where do you get ideas from?

We spend a lot of time on the Planet Christmas website. We also get ideas from driving around the neighborhood looking at what others are doing.

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18. How much does all of this stuff cost?

We have no idea and don't keep a total. Why?  First, it would be shocking.  Second, it would take the spirit out of it.

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19. Don't you worry about vandals?

Yes, we do.  We use motion-activated floodlights and security cameras on the property to keep people out. We also have great neighbors who keep an eye out and yell at any kid who happens to stray into the yard.  We have not had one problem since we started taking security more seriously.

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20. How can I build a display?

Designing and building a residential holiday display is an interesting hobby. Having said that, my first recommendation would be to take it slow. This hobby takes lots of time and money. I suggest you do your homework first and get as much information as you can. A good place to start is at the Planet Christmas website. Read everything on this site and join their forums to chat with other enthusiasts. Planet Christmas also has links to other holiday displays around the country.

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