Happy New Year to everyone! We’ve closed out another year here at GLC, and I’m going to call this year a smashing success. We had a fantastic response to the light show this year. Easily the most visitors we’ve had, and the well-wishers were too numerous to count.
As we close the books on 2011, it’s onward and upward to 2012. The new year brings some exciting changes for us:
I’m starting a new job in January. I’m very pumped about it and ready to take on some really challenging projects.
Our kids will finish up the school year as elementary kids, and will head back in the fall as middle schoolers. Hoo boy…
We hope to kickoff another remodeling project this spring. Hello, new kitchen.
A much needed family vacation. Preferably somewhere warm.
2012 will also bring some changes to the light show. But, I don’t want to give anything away, so you’ll need to stay tuned.
Have a great new year and best wishes for a successful 2012.
Early on Christmas Day, we had high winds in Seattle. Steady 30mph winds, but gusts to over 50mph. And if there is anything that can wreak havoc with Christmas light displays, it’s wind. We build our display expecting this type of weather, though.
We did not escape unaffected.
The wind took out the topper on the mega tree. And it didn’t just pop out of its socket. Continue reading →
If you get the opportunity, stop by the lights this weekend. The weather looks “ab-fab” (absolutely fantastic), so the light display will be on in full force. Plus, I’ll be hanging around and passing out treats to those that stop by!
If we don’t see you, have a relaxing, enjoyable, exciting, fun and festive holiday!
Yesterday was the Winter Solstice. The longest day of the year. And that means….lights!
We’ve been noticing more and more cars happening by the house before 5pm and after 11pm — times outside our show schedule. I’ve been tempted to flip the switch on the show earlier or later to accommodate everyone. (The show is run entirely by computer, even when it turns on and off. Overriding the system would be a serious breach of protocol, so it’s not to be taken lightly.)
We’re expecting a good amount of traffic over the holiday weekend, so we’re adjusting the show schedule for the weekend from 5:00 PM to 12:00 AM Midnight! This is only for the weekend, and we’ll go back to regular show hours next week.
We ran a few promo spots for the Greenlake Elementary Christmas tree sale this year, and by all accounts it seems to have worked. The tree sale is down to its final day, and there are just a few trees left on the lot. So, that gives us room to add songs to the show.
In November, we ran a contest to see what YOU, the adoring fan, would come up with given the opportunity to pick a song and add it to the show. Our good friend Merissa Goldstein won, submitting the song “Christmas Wrapping” by the Waitresses.
The song is now LIVE in the show, and I think it turned out great. It’s a bit different from other songs I’ve chosen, so synchronizing the lights to the song required some imagination on my part. At any rate, hope you like the song and synchronization.
And many thanks to Merissa for submitting the idea!
This year, I’m armed and ready to make some new videos of the show. I’m not so talented that I can knock these out quickly, but I’ve got one put together.
Our light display runs nightly from 5pm – 11pm. That leaves 18 hours of dead air on my local radio station. Now, to be sure, my “radio station” doesn’t broadcast much beyond my own block. Nonetheless, I don’t like the idea of dead air.
It’s a radio station, so why not broadcast music during the show’s off hours? Seemed like an easy proposition. As usual, I discovered I have requirements. And those requirements don’t necessarily jive very well with the available packaged options I found. However, with a little ingenuity, I’ve created a solution that meets my requirements.
The show launched Friday evening at 5pm and, by all accounts, was a success. And it really came down to the wire — I was cleaning up items from the yard as friends for our open house were arriving.
Friday night was great, and I made a few tweaks to the show for Saturday and Sunday (realigning a few songs, the tree sale promos, etc.)
But we’re not through yet — there’s still more to come. The display is basically set, although there are a few lights in inconspicuous places that I need to fix. Look for changes to the show — we have another song to be added. Stay tuned, it will be worth it.
As a quick recap of the weekend, I’ll answer the three most popular questions I received:
