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Dillema what would you do??


Guest Don Gillespie

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Guest Don Gillespie

Ok my nephew decides to get married in Dec the 16th to be exact, right in the middle of the show season I have over 60,000 lights going up this year we live on the west coast they live on the east coast do I

#1 go to the wedding and shut my show down for three days leaving everything unattended?

#3 lie to them and tell them my buisness partner isn't feeling well and not go??

I did mention that I wasn't going to go to the wedding but that has caused some major family fights my family is spread out all over the USA we get together once every couple of years we just saw each other at new years, what would you do? :D

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I think it's incredibly rude of your nephew to schedule a wedding during show season. Where do kids get their manners from these days? Ask yourself a simple question: Is he a close enough relation that he's in your will? If the answer is no, then pick up a $25 Target gift certificate, send it with your wife, and enjoy the peace and quiet for a few days.

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#2. Buy your biker neighbors a keg, and have them guard the diplay, and go to the wedding.

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Don Gillespie wrote:

#1 go to the wedding and shut my show down for three days leaving everything unattended?

#3 lie to them and tell them my buisness partner isn't feeling well and not go??

What is option #2? Attend via video conference?


I totally sympathize. Many years there were family obligations around Halloween when I had my haunted house. Squeezed a few in and said no to others. Personally I dont think family is obligated to travel across country at any time let alone when you have a good reason not to. At that distance and expense they should be happy when you can and silent when you can not.

$25 is WAY to small for a wedding gift. If you want be nice while not attending you can pay for a video to be made and ask for a copy. 700-1000 I would guess

Once a marginal friend asked me to be in his wedding. Did not want to say yes but I did. Then he tells me its on Dec 26th out of town. Cant be away from home on Christmas! Got out of that one!
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JBullard wrote:

Get a "MP3 Director" unit to run your show.

Then go to the wedding.

This is a good answer. If you get the MP3/Director unit with the build in clock then your show well run even if you are not there.

The other good answer is this one " Have your biker neighbors guard the diplay, and go to the wedding. You can always ask your neighbours to watch over the display, plus you can get "Citizens On Patrol" to help out as well.

If it was me I would say no because I cannot even leave Alberta since there is no money. lol

Do you get along with your nephew and are you really close? Then your answers are post above.
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Guest Don Gillespie

All good responses I was certainly hoping that one of you would offer to come and watch my display and shovel my walk if I did decide to go LOL:D

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You certainly don't need an MP3 director to run your show when you are not there...

My first year I had to go back east for a couple of weeks...and I let my PC run the show while I was gone...and had no problems.

I know this because my lights are on a friends house, and they emailed me several times telling me about the crowds on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve...

So I say go to the wedding and let the show run...

If the show is NOT running..that would just tell the local burglars that you are not home....

When did you say you were leaving??? :)

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Go to the wedding and run the show.

During this lst Christmas, I vacationed at Disney World for the week leading up the the 25th. I had a neighbor dog-sitting. My show was running off of my PC and was happy to see it running when I arrived home from a late evening flight.

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Assuming you can afford it, go to the wedding, even if you don't dare leave the show running! Family first. Hopefully he will only get married once, but the lights will go on and on an on (hopefully).

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Don't let the show be what keeps you from going to the wedding -- unless you are just wanting to use that as an excuse (however the family will realize all the more how crazy you are for choosing Xmas lights over family). Keep it running while you are gone -- it should be self-sufficient. You can have a friend or neighbor call you if they notice the show isn't running for some reason, and you can have them troubleshoot for you over the phone (might need to make sure they have a key for the house). Could always figure out how you can remotely connect to your home PC from afar if you for some reason need to access the show on the PC. I run my show off a mini-director and rarely have to do anything for it the whole season. I would not stop the show while gone though since I agree that that would be an easy sign for burglars. Probably can't buy a better home robbery deterrent than 80,000 blinking lights with a load of people watching your house.

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shfr26 wrote:

#2. Buy your biker neighbors a keg, and have them guard the diplay, and go to the wedding.

ROFL:D
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We did that last Christmas. Went 850 km away to my parents for a week. The show ran flawlessly the whole time we were gone! And our neighbors kept the bikers out of the mega tree!

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As was already stated, family is quite important, and if the relationship is good should always be on the top of the list.

This gives you the opportunity to fine tune your show;


  1. Load balance your display so no particular leg will overload a circut,
  2. perpare your circuits for GFCI tripouts - so you wont have any trips
  3. carefully check your sequences and your scheduler to run without interreaction from you
  4. dont forget to leave timers running in the house so it looks like someone is home and have a friend or neighbor either shovel your walks or drive in and out of your driveway and walk through the snow so it looks like you are there, and don't tell the world on the forum that you are away, everybody reads forums. :)

Two years go I started carefully tuning my display as I assembled it - the load balancing and being extra cautious with devices in the lawn that may trip the GFCI's. Believe me, it has paid off.:)

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The only option I see is to setup your entire display on the back of a big truck or trailer and bring it with you to share at the wedding. You can also test your decorations at 65MPH+ and make sure they are up to par. I don't see how anything could go wrong.

-logan

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Guest Don Gillespie

All answers are good, just checking flights today and costs and travel time, these are outrageous, my wife is on the fence she does not want me to set up the display if we are going to go away, I told her don't worry I won't be going, can't believe anyone would get married that close to christmas and expect a lot of people to come, but who am I just a lonly family member who lives eons from the rest of the family, so far I am leaning towards the show unless there is a great ticket sale to get to Harrisbugh PA from Medicine Hat Ab. can't justify spending 3 grand for 2 two days could buy a lot more controllers and CCB's (whenever they become available)

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Don Gillespie wrote:

All answers are good, just checking flights today and costs and travel time, these are outrageous, my wife is on the fence she does not want me to set up the display if we are going to go away, I told her don't worry I won't be going, can't believe anyone would get married that close to christmas and expect a lot of people to come, but who am I just a lonly family member who lives eons from the rest of the family, so far I am leaning towards the show unless there is a great ticket sale to get to Harrisbugh PA from Medicine Hat Ab. can't justify spending 3 grand for 2 two days could buy a lot more controllers and CCB's (whenever they become available)

Maybe you can get William to send you an email about a "special weather" bulletin for those days!
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