So how many of you have overheard your neighbors comments when you start putting your show up?

[Orville]

6 hours ago, beeiilll said:

I started doing my animated lighting display in 2008 because our little town (approx. 1000 full-time residents) had almost no Christmas lights out during the season and I wanted to restart things if I could for all of us.  As it happened, a family with a little girl was coming almost every night when I first started.  It turned out that she was terminally ill and they had spent all their money and savings on her health costs so they couldn't afford to do much for the holiday.  I made a special Christmas show just for her and it was the best thing I have ever done.  Made all the work worth the effort.  It worked for the town as well and the next year there were quite a few houses with at least some static or random blinking lights around.

I did my last show in 2013 due to health issues making it almost impossible to put the lights and display stuff out.  I had a few people offer to help but never seemed to show up so I couldn't depend on the help.  Sad but it happens and I certainly understand that we all have lives other than lighting or doing things for others.  I can understand Orville's "plight" all too well.  I just can't climb on the roof, raise my mega tree, or even haul the display stuff around the yard by myself anymore.  I spent a week in 2014 trying to get some things out without much success before I just had to give up and not do the display.  Being is such a small town has the disadvantage of not having a lot of people around who can help with things as well.

I miss the display and still have all my stuff to do it but now am in the position of having to sell my house since I am on SSI and can't afford to keep it.  Not really sure what I am going to do with stuff though. 

Well if you're interested in moving to Florida and owning a manufactured home {glorified trailer some call them, but basically a  mobile home}, we have a lot of brand new ones brought in here  for sale where I live in my manufactured Home Community.  And you can have a storage shed no larger than a 10x12 on your lot to store things.   Most are single wides and 2 to 3 bedrooms starting around $40,000 and up.   There are 5 brand new ones on my block alone, one right next door to me!

I may have bad health, blind as a bat, deaf as a log, but I'm going to keep going with my shows as long as I can, and keep pushing on every year until I get to be so bad I can't.  Then I may consider selling off all my stuff or I may just give it away at that time.

Would be great to have a neighbor that has a animated display right next door, although with my newest neighbors, not sure how it's going to go over with them just yet.  Time will soon tell when the Christmas display stuff goes up and starts Thanksgiving night, if all goes as planned!

But if you'd happen to be interested in moving to Florida and any interest in owning a mobile home, they take care of the lawn maintenance for $12/month, it's part of the Lot Rent.  Send me a PM and I can give you more info on who to contact about what's available, pricing, location, etc.

[Orville]

3 minutes ago, TheDucks said:

Orville

I think it has a bit to do because folk are more mobile.  I grew up in a small New Jersey towne, where you were greeted at the start of a school year with: "Oh, I taught your Grand mother and Mom" We had block parties with all the neighbors (8 families)

I sorta know some of my neighbors here in Calif. I've been here 35 years. A few have died over the years. Now days, most are rentals. The newer regulars, both work (it takes that, just to pay the rent around here) with kids in day care. At most, I mostly recognize the car as it drives by.

 

Where I live they've been doing away with rentals and are trying to only sell the manufactured homes in the park. 

And some of the new neighbors may work, but they may also work from home as they only drive out for short durations, never gone for more than an 30 minutes to an hour and a half.  Usually taking children to school, although more and more in my neighborhood seem to be home schooling their children today 

The ones that have been here a while I still know and chat with from time to time, they do work, so they're gone at various times because they work jobs that sometimes use rotating shifts.

I've only been here 6 years, 7 in March 2019.  And I'll be here for many to come more or less.  Not unless some relative dies and leaves me a fortune and a regular house, then I'll move.   But I seriously doubt that's going to happen.

[k6ccc]

9 hours ago, Orville said:

But I'll have lights on the house and my handicap ramp for Halloween, I'll set them to just be Purple, Orange, Red and Green using animation files this year, that's about the best I could for Halloween 2018.  No music at all this year for Halloween, but at least there's something up and running,

A suggestion.  This is what I do for Halloween.  I have the GE Color Effects bulbs on the eves that run Orange and Purple from an animation sequence.  While that is running I have about a dozen musical sequences that have one non-existent channel playing.  There is no attempt to sequence the lights to the music.  For the few nights prior to Halloween, I run the animation sequence, and only add the musical sequences for Halloween night itself while the kids are coming around.

However this way you can have the music without requiring the time to sequence it.

 

[Orville]

I have a ton of single channel sequences that are for use during my off hours times.  So I was thinking I might add them to the musical tab, and let them run in the background while the animation files {3 of them} run in the foreground.   If that's possible, haven't experimented with it yet, so not sure if I can do that.  But that was what I was thinking of doing only on Halloween night.

[ItsMeBobO]

Way back in 2006 or around there I was up in a ladder hanging a ghost which had a motor and moved back and forth.    Two houses down was a lady who seemed semi interested in my display but I am not sure if it was admiration or pumping me for reasons to make fun of me to her friends.   Anyway I hear her shout loudly "ANOTHER ONE"   with some exasperation in her voice as she comes walking over.   Just then the lady in the house between ours comes to the sidewalk with her newborn baby and proudly begins talking about her.    But I am sure the shouter was talking about another prop in a yard full of them and not a new kid on the street.   

[k6ccc]

1 hour ago, Orville said:

I have a ton of single channel sequences that are for use during my off hours times.  So I was thinking I might add them to the musical tab, and let them run in the background while the animation files {3 of them} run in the foreground.   If that's possible, haven't experimented with it yet, so not sure if I can do that.  But that was what I was thinking of doing only on Halloween night.

That’s how it works.  Put one or more animation sequences in the Animation tab and they will cycle in the background.  Put musical sequences that only have a non-existent channel in the musical tab.  The musical sequences will play music and the non-existent lighting channel and the animation sequences will control the lights.  That is exactly what I do on Halloween night.

 

[Orville]

20 minutes ago, k6ccc said:

That’s how it works.  Put one or more animation sequences in the Animation tab and they will cycle in the background.  Put musical sequences that only have a non-existent channel in the musical tab.  The musical sequences will play music and the non-existent lighting channel and the animation sequences will control the lights.  That is exactly what I do on Halloween night.

 

Thanks Jim.  great to know.  I'll set that up.  Thank you.

[Thebug]

My only comment this year was my neighbor who came over and said his kids were now bugging him to put up lights and he is annoyed about it. I smiled and offered him the use of my ladder and that I would help

Edited October 17, 2018 by Thebug

[GriswoldStyle]

8 hours ago, Thebug said:

My only comment this year was my neighbor who came over and said his kids were now bugging him to put up lights and he is annoyed about it. I smiled and offered him the use of my ladder and that I would help

I actually had my voice over guy create a voice over that I play every four songs that gives a 90 second photo op with all the lights on for people to take pictures. It literally tells kids that if you enjoyed this display, ask your parents to join you in creating a display of their own. It tells them to consider it a family tradition and ask your parents every year to let you help putting up the lights.... what's funny is when I'm outside and it plays, the kids hear that part and boy do they perk up and start asking their parents to put up Christmas lights.... I smile every time I hear it lol

[mpageler]

Only one comment but it's a hard one to beat.

Several years ago, was on the ladder starting halloween install.  Heheard a young boy as they were riding bikes, telll his sister exitetaly,"he's putting up lights' and headed back to his house up the stree.

Few minutes later, he hauls his mom to my house to show that I was putting juplight.  I  Stopped to talk to her and she said her son gets realy excited with the lights. Every time they drive home in the evening, they have to stop and watch for a few sones and he also watches from his bedroom.

Many years ago, useto put up 25,000 incandecent bulb but got to be a chore checking bulbs.  So stopped doing the lights. First year after not doing it, neighborhood kid coming hoem from school said, I really miss your Christmas light

[Light_addiction]

I got a comment just yesterday asking why I had not started putting up my Christmas display yet.  But in reality they already knew the answer cause it has been raining nearly every day for the past month here. I can't start setting it up because I still need to mow my 1 acre yard.

[Orville]

18 minutes ago, Light_addiction said:

I got a comment just yesterday asking why I had not started putting up my Christmas display yet.  But in reality they already knew the answer cause it has been raining nearly every day for the past month here. I can't start setting it up because I still need to mow my 1 acre yard.

Gee, I didn't know you lived in my neighborhood!   I just got that same comment Tuesday night too, just as I was finishing up adding the last of my RGB lights and controllers, and so I offered him the same deal as you did! ???

Edited October 17, 2018 by Orville

[jwblazek]

Several neighbors have commented this year as I started putting up Halloween décor a couple of weeks ago, asking will I be doing my Christmas display again and in the same breath, what's new for this year. Also have 3 immediate neighbors asking to help put Christmas stuff up when I start. Sounds like a great deal to me!

[jfuller8400]

I've had a couple of young kids tell me this year how much they like the lights.  Warms your heart!

[Protege94]

The first house I owned was across the street from a church and was the only house on the block (it was a very short block). So I never had issues with neighbors and it helped that the church parking lot was great for viewing the display.

This year will be my first year in an actual neighborhood with an HOA so I am doing my best to put up a bigger display and then sit back and see if the HOA facebook page goes crazy. Over the past 7 months living in my new house, I have seen quite a few people complain about petty things. So I am sure I will get complaints this year. Whether or not I care is another story.

[lightingnewb]

So I'm building a new prop this year for our Christmas display, some people are looking, some are talking a bit or saying hi. One person stops to ask us what we're doing. Happily, we explain what we do. She was really excited because she recently moved into a house in our neighborhood and she said she'd stop by when it's all up.

[DisneyMatt10]

On 10/2/2018 at 8:59 PM, dibblejr said:

I actually had a group of neighbors stop by and ask if they could help today, since I am late for show start...

We actually had the same thing happen last night! These neighbrors were out walking and asked "Oh wow! You guys have a lot going on! Is there anything we can do to help?" - So we let them untangle a knot of extension cords. ? (I doubt they will ever ask if they can help again!) 

As for rude comments, we got a LOT of rude comments our first year or two... But not such much any more. Now everyone who comes by when we are out working says something along the lines of "Oh my gosh!! I'm so excited that it's almost that time of year again!! We can't wait to see your lights!! They are the best in the area!" ?‍♂️

We do have some new people in the neighborhood for this year, but so far none of them have said anything... They just drive by REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEALLY slow.

[ItsMeBobO]

3 hours ago, DisneyMatt10 said:

They just drive by REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEALLY slow

All I have up is some wire and tonight I had two slow drive bys.

[DisneyMatt10]

59 minutes ago, ItsMeBobO said:

All I have up is some wire and tonight I had two slow drive bys.

The joys of this hobby... ?

[Frankieswi]

I've been lighting this house in one form or another for 15 years now, starting with a static display, to a gingerbread house static display, adding a "Mr. Christmas" unit, then switching to LOR, using mini-lights, then LED, and finally adding in RGB.  My show runs Halloween from early October through Halloween, then Christmas from Thanksgiving night to a few days past New Years day, typically running from 6-11, and longer when Christmas arrives.  I've had only 1 complaint....well, maybe 20(??!!) from the same guy, my new neighbor.  Most people tell me they can't wait to see it, that I'm a tradition for their families,they bring all their friends by, etc.  I don't advertise it because I don't want the traffic....its for my community, friends, and neighbors.  Anyway, this guy has told everyone except me its too loud, too bright, and too long, and its affecting his son's sleep. His son said it wasn't when I asked him, so human shield?  He went to all my neighbors and asked if they would help shut me down, but they all said they loved it!  He went to the homeowners association, and ....they said they loved it.  He called the police 4 or 5 times....once I was outside when they pulled up and guess what?  They loved it!  He also sent the police to the wrong address, my other neighbor (who loves the shows), who is a police officer, so she had to go through internal affairs processing 3 times because a police car was dispatched to her house!  On Halloween, we served hotdogs and beverages to both kids and adults...its a little party in the front yard.  He had the nerve to come over and partake, but was mostly shunned because everyone knew what he had done.   i haven't heard much from him in the last year or two, so maybe he finally "sees the light"?   LOL