Setup can take months, but super-decorators say it's worth it to bring holiday joy in their communities.
After 25 years of Christmas decorating, Logan Moore has learned a thing or two.
He programmed his first Christmas light show in the early 2000s, syncing color-changing lights on his childhood home to a playlist of songs, a novel approach back then. The display made headlines in his hometown and sent so many cars down his street that the police had to step in to provide traffic control.
Now, his acre of property in Southside, Ala., is home to Moore Family Lights, a 10-to-12-song-long light show that evolves every year. Visitors can tune their car radios to his playlist, which includes personal favorites like songs from cinematic songwriter and producer Tommee Profitt.
Moore is part of a growing community of super-decorators who spend months each year plotting elaborate displays and computerized light shows. Since the advent of social media, many promote their work online and draw crowds from around their cities.
Their motivation? Pure holiday cheer. Decorating costs can easily run into the thousands and require hundreds of hours of installation and back-end work. Neighbors get to enjoy it all for free.
The community has grown over the years, thanks in part to a seasonal ABC reality competition show, "The Great Christmas Light Fight," a robust number of forums and Facebook groups, and displays that go viral online.
Mitch and Shenan Faas of Saratoga Springs, Utah, have garnered more than 120,000 YouTube views for a medley of songs from "Wicked" set to lights.
"Now how did I get chills from the defying gravity performance of a house," one viewer inquired.
It's the most popular part of their show this year, which also includes a "Deadpool" tribute set to NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye" and more traditional Christmas songs like "Mary Did You Know?" and "Carol of the Bells."
"When 'Wicked' comes on we hear a hush throughout the crowd, like 'Yes!'" Mitch Faas said. "The kids go crazy for it."
Being a noted Christmas house takes a certain level of buy-in from neighbors. Tim Mays, who puts on a 90-minute show, the Mays Family Light Show, in South Elgin, Ill., sends letters to his neighbors when he begins setting up his over 120,000-light display, reminding them what to expect and providing contact information in case of any incidents like blocked driveways.
Feedback, generally, is good.
"My No. 1 goal is to bring joy to everybody," Mays said. "I've gotten numerous emails and letters saying, 'I didn't have the Christmas spirit. Now that we came to your house, now we have the Christmas spirit.'"
Moore, in Alabama, said several neighbors have grandchildren who enjoy the show each year. One neighbor installed a light-up sign reading "Ditto" and pointed it to Moore's house. "That was a lot of fun," he said.