History Of The Show
Since moving into our home in 2019, my wife and I have embraced the holiday spirit. What began with purchasing regular Christmas lights each year evolved into a more cohesive and stunning display. Here’s our journey:
- Initial Years (2019-2021): We initially bought regular Christmas lights from various vendors each year, but this led to an increasingly disjointed display. We realized we needed a more unified approach.
- Stepping Up Our Game (2022): In 2022, we took a leap by purchasing a Kulp K32A-B LED controller and about 6,000 LEDs. Although our display wasn’t synchronized to music yet, the dynamic display felt unified.
- Major Expansion for Halloween (2023): The following year, for Halloween 2023, we added approximately 6,000 more LEDs. This expansion caught the attention of the West Seattle Blog, bringing more visitors to our display.
- Learning and Collaboration: Around this time, we discovered the 4040house light show. After reaching out to them, they gave us a great tip: use the program SpectraLayers to generate timing markers for songs. Previously, I relied heavily on my ear to make the timings - this tool transformed the way I synchronized lights to music.
- A Full-Blown Synchronized Show (End of 2023): Excited by what SpectraLayers made possible, we decided to double our annual light show budget. We bought another ~6,000 LEDs and completely revamped our Christmas display. By the end of November, we had created a fully synchronized 20-minute light show featuring 10 songs and nearly 18,000 LEDs.
- The Community’s Response: We had not anticipated how many people would come to enjoy the show, but the steady stream of cars outside our house throughout December made all the hours of hard work worth it.
Reflecting on this journey fills us with immense pride and joy. We’ve not only created a spectacle of lights but also a gathering point for our community during the holidays. If you have any quesstions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Stay tuned for what’s next, and we hope to see you next year!
