wbaker4 Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 ...and your show is on. Do you wave to the people watching? Walk over and say hi and thank to them for coming? Or just let them keep watching? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daryl Hurd Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 I always try to at least wave to them.. If they have their window down.. I might even shout out a Merry Christmas to them. The ones that want to know more then usually start asking questions... If I am out walking the display, I always have my Christmas hat on and my flagger flashlight. Most people roll down their windows to talk when they see me approaching. If they do not, I just tend to walk by and wave.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeERWNC Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 I figure they are watching me.As much traffic that is now on my road.My Blue Corvette rolls up and that catches any car guys attention.Then my garage door goes up. The garage lights a all off but I have blue LED strands hung so the garage is a pretty blue glow.I pull in and the door goes down.It is so cold here everyone has their windows up, anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobschm Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 I wave. One of them rang my doorbell last night. He was a friend from high school! Class of 1966. He came after seeing me in his town paper, a sister publication from my local article. You never know what this hobby will produce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstorms Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 I find it a very creepy feeling to open the garage door to go somewhere and have 150 people just standing in front of the house. I'm not the most socially adjusted person out there and not sure what to do, I usually just wave back at people. My wife at first was worried that we might get robbed, but I pointed out that would be hard to do with so many people right there, half with cameras out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Hans Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 Some people are strange.... like I'm telling you something you don't already know.... anyway, some people seem to think that they are "getting caught" watching my lights. It always amazes me to see people drive away the minute I walk out the front door. Like they were doing something wrong by watching my lights. Have others observed this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Simmons Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 I figure they are watching me. As much traffic that is now on my road. My Blue Corvette rolls up and that catches any car guys attention. Then my garage door goes up. The garage lights a all off but I have blue LED strands hung so the garage is a pretty blue glow. I pull in and the door goes down. It is so cold here everyone has their windows up, anyways. When I roll up in my white SUV no one even notices. Maybe I should have a picture of a Corvette painted on the side. Some people are strange.... like I'm telling you something you don't already know.... anyway, some people seem to think that they are "getting caught" watching my lights. It always amazes me to see people drive away the minute I walk out the front door. Like they were doing something wrong by watching my lights. Have others observed this? I see this too. I wonder how many people would go to the trouble of transmitting sound and giving instructions with announcements, etc and then scowl at people out front?? (This doesn't include the headlight morons.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenwatt Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 We get it too, we joke about checking who is out front as to not scare off the watchers, IDK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckie24 Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 It's funny, I've noticed that people seem to scatter when we arrive or depart the house. I mean, do you think I would put the display up if I didn't mind/want you watching it?!? I try to at least wave if I am out and people don't scatter at the sight of me. I don't want to be thought of as the Grinch with the Christmas light display! I have thanked an occasional person who has their car windows down, especially if it is a family with kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 Jim - Happened to me too when I was in the other house. If you came out the front door, or came home/left, people would scatter. Seemed to do it about 50/50 for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhitePlainsNY Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 I used to have people scatter when I peeked out the window. I've since incorporated painted roller shades as part of my design and it blocked my views of people. Two years ago I added security cameras that allow me to watch everyone without them knowing.I feel a bit uncomfortable when I leave the house if there's a crowd, especially when they're videotaping. Last night was a first - 5 car loads and a few families on the sidewalk applauded me as I left the house. I was touched and completely caught off guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Fischer Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 I keep the garage door down until I'm ready to back out, then I make a quick exit. If someone's right by the driveway I'll give a quick wave but I don't linger.When I'm pulling back in, I just turn in, head in the garage, and shut the door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orville Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 The only time they DON'T drive off is if I walk out and dressed in my entire Santa Claus outfit and my wife shows up dressed as Mrs. Claus a few moments later. But if we're just heading out and in normal attire, seems folks tend to drive off as soon as we walk out to get in the car to leave. Especially since the driveway is on the same side as the display. ROFL But if our car is gone, they have a better view of the display since our driveway blocks a small part of it, so its clear viewing when the SUV isn't in the driveway! Of course now, my neighbor is using my old Mr. Christmas and I can't believe they got this wireless monstrosity to control it's modules 3 and 4 houses away, could be because they mounted it on the roof of the home that is across the vacant lot from mine, but they have that thing cranked and 3 houses being controlled by it. Supposed to be a max. of 100' from box to control modules, but it's actually sending the signal at least 350+ feet to the house directly across from me. Was really surprised that got it to go that far! But it does interfere with folks trying to listen to my display because it's so loud it drowns out my outdoor speakers {controlled by a radio set to the freq. from my FM transmitter}, but the Mr. Christmas box is driving folks away from being able to enjoy my display set up, as little as it is this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCas4380 Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 I feel better, i thought the people scattering was something i was doing wrong or just my looks. nice to see i'm not the only scary guy in this hobbie.....LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougd Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 We keep a car in the garage, that is pulled in before the display starts. No way the car can leave the garage once the display starts. We then keep the other car parked on the side of the house so it can get out with all the cars in the driveway. Anytime we leave we have to walk by all the cars that are parked in the driveway. I usualy wave and if a window is down I say Merry Christmas. I am not the most social person around. I cant tell if its more awkward for me or them, after all they are parked in a strangers driveway. Most the time I get a wave back or a thank you or a Merry Christmas. No conversations, thank goodness. My kids on the other hand love it, They think its cool all these people visiting the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orville Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 I feel better, i thought the people scattering was something i was doing wrong or just my looks. nice to see i'm not the only scary guy in this hobbie.....LOLWe do Halloween displays too, no one drives off if we go out in a costume, but go out as ourselves and you think Count Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, The Mummy, The Werewolf or any other menacing creature/person {Freddy Kreuger, Jason, Michael Myers, etc.} had just walked out the door. I never realized just how scary my wife and I must look when not dressed up in a costume, especially for all the folk to scurry off so quickly just by walking out the door. Now I understand why the mirrors always seem to crack when I look into them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Simmons Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Of course now, my neighbor is using my old Mr. Christmas and I can't believe... the Mr. Christmas box is driving folks away from being able to enjoy my display set up, as little as it is this year.I wonder what your neighbor does for a living that he's able to accomplish that? A Mr. Christmas outperforming a LOR controller certainly isn't an every-day occurrence.I might not be able to post in color, but in my very first year when my immediate neighbor whipped out their mighty Mr. Christmas, I didn't have any viewers forsaking my display in favor of theirs. Just saying... Merry Christmas All! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orville Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 I wonder what your neighbor does for a living that he's able to accomplish that? A Mr. Christmas outperforming a LOR controller certainly isn't an every-day occurrence.I might not be able to post in color, but in my very first year when my immediate neighbor whipped out their mighty Mr. Christmas, I didn't have any viewers forsaking my display in favor of theirs. Just saying... Merry Christmas All! It's NOT outperforming my display or the LOR Controllers, the complaints I've heard is the "canned music" is drowning out my synchronized displays music over their FM car radio, because it's so loud and over powering to those trying to watch and listen, so those that are trying to enjoy the real animated synchronized light show I have going in my yard are getting blasted by different musical renditions, competing with each other. So they have to crank up their radio and then we have Mr. Christmas canned music vs LOR and my FM transmitter wars. Kind of really amusing if you think about it. Hoping I may be in another and better location next year, only time will tell. BTW: The neighbor used to drive a tow truck {repo's and such}, not sure what he does now, but he IS NOT the one that put it on his roof, the neighbor across the street, a Brighthouse IT person is who put it up there and the one I sold the Mr. Christmas too last year. These same 4 houses utilizing the Mr. Christmas, providing I'm still here next year, they all want to combine my LOR Controllers, sequencing and my house with theirs for Christmas m2014, and we have a 5th neighbor considering adding their house into the mix. Just not sure I'm ready to spread it out that far! Sounds like a sequencing nightmare to me.But it would be very cool to do and see, that's for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisquit476 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 (This doesn't include the headlight morons.) It's funny you mentioned them George. We took a trip up north for a vacation this month and on the way back to Florida we stopped in Sevierville, TN, and Myrtle Beach, SC to visit the Shadrack drive thru Christmas light shows, and at both of them, there is a sign at the start to dim your lights, plus the entrance people said to put on your parking lights only, and at both shows there were the headlight morons oblivious to the fact that others couldn't see because of their stupidity. Made you want to get out of the car and smash their headlights (like John Belushi with the guitar in Animal House), and then shrug and say "sorry". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Messer Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 We have a firepit burning most nights and many come up and set beside us and chat. We enjoy watching them just like they enjoy watching the show. Tonight I have another network issue so I am not out there. LOL Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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