Light-O-Rama: A blazing, blaring signal to Santa

Headbanging with holiday spirit, this schizophrenic Christmas tour-de-force stuck with me ever since I saw it on a Miller Lite ad last year.

Pairing the over-the-top light show with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Wizards in Winter” so successfully made Christmas more, well, metal, that I had to wonder how I could get my neighbors to feel the noize of my own light show.

The answer: Light-O-Rama.

The homeowner in the ad, Carson Williams, used Light-O-Rama's nearly $2,000 deluxe package, seen above. This broadcasts a low-power FM signal, and passing drivers are told to tune in to hear your show. 

I'd prefer a more basic setup for $419.95, which comes complete with controllers, cables, and user-friendly software. You import an .mp3 or .wav file, assign "channels" to each string of lights, and the software helps you coordinate the channels into a show that's synchronized with the song.

It may sound tricky, but you don’t have to be a musical electrician to bedeck your house like a Yuletide Times Square.

I would want to turn on my string of glowing red Santas during the violin introduction of “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24," also by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (and Metallica).

I'd set the Santa's channel to fire up at seven seconds into the song, and then have the lights slowly fade out until the violin briefly stops.

But if you aren’t feeling up to the creative element, you can download pre-made sequences that are all synched-up and ready to rock.

Or, if you have problems visualizing how the interacting strands of lights are going to look on your house, check out the $30 Holiday Lights Designer 3.0 by Holidaysoft.

Just load a picture of your house, pick the kinds of lights you’d like to use, and this software will allow you to experiment with lighting arrangements and effects.

Carson Williams' display attracted so many visitors that traffic once blocked access to a car accident near his house.

As the Miller Lite commercial says, “Enjoy the Lites.” But, I must add: Please, decorate responsibly.

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Feel like your holiday decorations can upstage even Carson’s rock-and-roll light show? Submit them to our contest.