Neighbors team up to light up the dark days of winter
The numbers are staggering and indicative of the scope of what
is one of the more creative holiday displays in Hollister.
More than 70,000 lights on two houses synchronized to nearly 30
songs that passers-by can listen to on their car stereo; 15-foot
mega trees on the roof; an estimated $10,000 worth of Christmas
spirit. It’s like National Lampoon’s
”
Christmas Vacation
”
movie without the effects on the city’s power grid or
flash-blindness of neighbors caused by holiday spirit gone
awry.
Neighbors team up to light up the dark days of winter
The numbers are staggering and indicative of the scope of what is one of the more creative holiday displays in Hollister.
More than 70,000 lights on two houses synchronized to nearly 30 songs that passers-by can listen to on their car stereo; 15-foot mega trees on the roof; an estimated $10,000 worth of Christmas spirit. It’s like National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation” movie without the effects on the city’s power grid or flash-blindness of neighbors caused by holiday spirit gone awry.
On Mesa Drive, a quiet stretch of suburbia between Valley View and Clearview roads, two neighbors – who are both electricians – have created a light show that has few rivals locally.
“My neighbor was always kind of like Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase’s character in the ‘Vacation’ movie),” said Steve Brown, referring to Jim Jared’s preference for showy holiday displays. “I wasn’t near to his caliber.”
Then, Brown said, he “stumbled across” some lighting-control software and equipment and asked Jared if he’d be willing to team up on a two-house display of lights.
Learning on the fly and not knowing how it would turn out last year, Brown and Jared connected thousands of lights and coordinated them with more than 20 songs, and the two houses became one, large holiday display.
“Everyone liked it so much,” Brown said, that he started programming this year’s display in February and finished in October, devoting a couple hundred hours to the effort. “This year, I knew what I was doing.”
Using the computer program, he selected songs to pair with the lights, which fade in and out, twinkle and shimmer to the beat.
“What really made the whole thing worth it is that people were excited about it,” Brown said. “I had a guy come to my door and say, ‘I just want to thank you guys. My son is autistic and we come here every night and it gets him going.’ That kind of makes it all worthwhile.”
From 6 to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday from Thanksgiving through Christmas, the Browns and the Jareds get the show going.
While one person was so happy to see the show that they offered to give Brown money, he and his neighbor instead ask for canned food donations that are then delivered to the Emmaus House women’s shelter.
An FM transmitter allows people to tune their car radio to the station that plays the songs to which the lights dance and flash.
“Every year it keeps growing,” Brown said, noting that the “mega-trees” on the roof were the main addition this year, along with some strobes and a laser.
Next year?
“We’re looking at some leaping fountains and added lights,” Brown said. “We’re going to get it as big as we can until we run out of electricity.”
Speaking of power, Brown said that his PG&E bill jumps by about $150 per month during the run of the display.
“It’s not as bad as you’d think,” he said.
What about the nearby neighbors who do not participate in the show, but are witness to the luminosity and the increased traffic on the street?
Brown, whose kids are grown and out of the house, “We have more people on the street decorating now. Before, our street didn’t have much Christmas involvement. We ask if the music is too loud, and all of our neighbors are really good about it. They have been supportive.”
The Mesa Drive display remains a beacon of light in the dark days of winter. It’s such a beacon, in fact, that the nights are hardly dark on the street. And if the Browns and the Jareds have their way, it will get bigger and brighter year after year.
Adam Breen writes a blog at http://thebreenblog.blogspot.com and teaches newspaper and yearbook classes at San Benito High School. He is a reporter for The Pinnacle and former editor of The Free Lance.
