Thursday, December 25, 2014

The Great Christmas Light Fight

Six foot Santas, Ferris wheels and 100 trees shipped from Siberia: Families go to ridiculous lengths to decorate homes as they compete for £30,000 prize

  • American show being broadcast in UK sees Christmas-obsessed families 
  • One display has 20,000 cars attend each year
  • One house is so bright that it's used by pilots as a beacon 
  • Another house has Ferris wheel, 80 ft ski lift and 180,000 lights
Forget a few baubles and a wreath, for middle-America’s most fanatically festive families, Christmas decorations include 100 trees, six foot Santas and lights so bright, pilots at the local airport use them as a beacon.
The ostentatious families are the stars of a new U.S. TV show that's made it's way to the UK this month.
The Great Christmas Light Fight, which airs on truTV, follows America’s most fanatically festive families. 
Feeling festive: A new TV show sees Christmas-obsessed families across America competing for a £30,000 prize fund
Feeling festive: A new TV show sees Christmas-obsessed families across America competing for a £30,000 prize fund
Each episode takes decking the halls to the absolute extreme, as households compete to create the most over-the-top Christmas light displays to win a £31,000 ($50,000) cash prize.
Hosted by judges Michael Moloney and Sabrina Soto, each family has just three weeks to transform their home for the holidays, working around the clock as they pit their wits against each other to create the most ridiculously elaborate illuminations.
Judged on rigorous and strict criteria that ranges from use of lights, overall design and Christmas spirit, their displays feature six foot Santas, luminous snowmen, glowing reindeer and metres and metres of coloured lights in the most astonishing display of festive cheer. 
Competition: Each family has just three weeks to transform their home for the holidays, working around the clock as they pit their wits against each other to create the most ridiculously elaborate illuminations
Competition: Each family has just three weeks to transform their home for the holidays, working around the clock as they pit their wits against each other to create the most ridiculously elaborate illuminations
Battle: Each episode takes decking the halls to the absolute extreme, as households compete to create the most over-the-top Christmas light displays to win a £31,000 cash prize
Battle: Each episode takes decking the halls to the absolute extreme, as households compete to create the most over-the-top Christmas light displays to win a £31,000 cash prize
One of the families featured, the Baughmans from Dallas, adorn their house with 100,000 lights, 100 Christmas trees and 16 Christmas-themed arches.
They take the whole process so seriously that they spend all year prepping and programming the lights, spend two months setting up and are known as local celebrities thanks to their display.
Giving them a run for their money is the Downs family from Oklahoma. The Downs family Christmas display is one of the largest musically synchronized displays in the country. 
The display has become such a spectacle that an average of 20,000 cars attend each year and on Christmas Eve last year, they had close to 5,000 cars driving by. 
Winter wonderland: This home features a Ferris wheel, 80 ft ski lift and 180,000 lights and pilots at the local airport even use their home as a beacon during the holiday season
Winter wonderland: This home features a Ferris wheel, 80 ft ski lift and 180,000 lights and pilots at the local airport even use their home as a beacon during the holiday season
Shine bright: Each house is judged on rigorous and strict criteria that ranges from use of lights, overall design and Christmas spirit
Shine bright: Each house is judged on rigorous and strict criteria that ranges from use of lights, overall design and Christmas spirit
Mark and Kathy from Miama have been doing their display since 1990 when they tied the knot. The family spends a total of five hours, three days a week for three months to get their display ready in time for the holidays. 
They believe their Ferris wheel, 80 ft ski lift and 180,000 lights are what set their display apart from others. Pilots at the local airport even use their home as a beacon during the holiday season.
New Yorker Kevin Lynch, 54, has been doing his display for 16 years and it normally takes seven weeks and over 300 hours to put it up.
He has over 300,000 lights and 350 figures and has received awards from US Senator Patavan and City Councilman Tony Avella.
Classic: This home is all about the fairy lights but for others,  Christmas decorations include 100 trees and six foot Santas
Classic: This home is all about the fairy lights but for others, Christmas decorations include 100 trees and six foot Santas
Les Mize, 68, has been decorating his home in San Francisco for 43 years. What started as a mere Mickey Mouse and Disney memorabilia collection has become a full-blown obsession. 
Patty, his wife, tries to keep Les in check and the decorations under control but finds it difficult to squash Les’s Christmas spirit. The house takes 294 hours to decorate, uses 200,000 lights just on the exterior, has over 400 Mickeys in the garage display alone, has 10,000 visitors over a three week period and has become known as the Mickey Mouse Christmas House. 
The Blount family from Los Angeles, meanwhile, turn their display into a charitable affair.
Father Andrew, a CEO of a software company, likes to give back to the community and last year they displayed 120,000 lights and served tonnes of warm apple cider to faithful visitors. The Blounts even have a tree shipped in from Siberia each year. 
Over-the-top: Some of the families get so carried away that they spend days decorating their homes and have hundreds of people visiting 
Over-the-top: Some of the families get so carried away that they spend days decorating their homes and have hundreds of people visiting 
Spectacle: Some displays have an average of 20,000 cars attending each year
Spectacle: Some displays have an average of 20,000 cars attending each year

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