For the past seven Decembers, colorful lights and festive music have been the norm on Frampton Lane, where two neighbors collaborate to make one massive Christmas display.
This will be the last year for the huge display on Frampton, said Bill Robinson, one of the homeowners, but it won't be the last time he works with his neighbor, Jim Woolsy, to spread holiday cheer.
"There have been years we've had 300 or more cars a night," Robinson said.
The display on both homes includes a series of control boxes, he said, running a total of 96 circuits.
All of this is controlled by a laptop in his home, which controls when lights flash on and off and even animate at times -- the snowball-fighting snowmen between the two homes, for instance -- in time with music that is pumped from speakers throughout the two properties, and broadcast with a radio antenna disguised as a massive Christmas tree -- complete with a star Robinson bought on clearance after Christmas last year.
The sheer size of these displays, covering entire houses, yards and the space between them, means the walkways for both homes' front doors each have dozens of extension cords strewn across them, some covered with welcome mats and others lying loose. This, Robinson said, is an excellent theft defense -- a fleeing burglar will surely trip.
This year, he said, the display was significantly smaller than previous years, with roughly 50,000 total lights, compared to last year when he and Woolsy each had about 60,000 on display.
Robinson said this is because he's moving soon. His home is under contract, he said, and expected to close mid January, meaning he needs to be able to undecorate quickly.
Next year, he said, he and Woolsy intend to collaborate again, just not with their own homes. They're looking for a more public, more visible venue to decorate, he said.
They considered the American Legion post, Robinson said, but decided against it. A display that close to U.S. Highway 71, he said, was a recipe for disaster.
Woolsy said this year's display started coming together shortly after Veteran's Day, and he could be seen working outside with Bill as late as 9 or 10 in the evening, with lamps on their heads.
To fuel their displays, he said, he and Robinson go to the store after Christmas and buy decorations on clearance.
Despite all the work and expense, he said, he does it because he knows people come to see it and he knows people enjoy it. Especially the kids.
"I ran into a little kid at Wal-Mart, he said 'oh, you put up the lights,'" Woolsy said. "It's a lot of work, but lots of people come up and look at them."
Robinson said that as much as they're glad people enjoy their work, he also loves putting it all together.
"We call this our gift to the community," Robinson said. "But really what it is is we're both big kids at heart."
General News on 12/21/2016