Who doesn’t love Christmas lights?! Seriously…there’s something magical about them. We drive around neighborhoods looking at them, we love Clark Griswold because of them, we are fascinated with them.
When I was a kid we used to go to a whole town that does up their lights for Christmas, McAdenville NC. Ya’ll….it is something to see! But the past few years, we stick around town and go to this one house. Get directions if you’re anywhere in upstate SC to #106 Shearbrook Drive in Mauldin, SC. It is just plain incredible.
I swear half of Greenville County turns out to see this house. They’ve been on the news, in magazines, and all over facebook from locals. It’s just a couple of guys who get seriously into the Christmas spirit, and with the help of family and friends, they go ALL OUT. You park, walk to the house, and then go along the lighted pathway around their house (and into the neighbor’s backyard) where it is the most spectacular Christmas light display I’ve EVER seen. It’s all digitized to music (which changes in different parts of the property.) They serve free popcorn and hot chocolate, have a Santa Claus with candy canes, and honestly, it’s just the MOST fun. They run on donations to cover the cost of a $2600 electric bill for one month, and to help replace lights and add to the display each year.
They love Christmas, and that’s why they do it. With more than 270,000 lights, and over 65 giant inflatables running, these people have to turn off their stove, dryer, indoor lights, heat, and water heater to accomodate the power pull from this thing. AND, they borrow power from a few willing neighbors who love to help make the whole thing possible. The use over 700 extension cords, 17 20-amp breakers, and an amperage meter to keep from blowing up the neighborhood. They start unpacking boxes and decorating in mid-September and spend 2-3 hours per day, in addition to 2 weeks worth of vacation spending 16 hours per day to get it all done.
These guys deserve an HGTV or TLC special. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Check out a few shots and a video that I took.
Wow! That’s quite a spectacle.
Here’s a link to a 3-minute video tour from last year: http://mauldin.patch.com/articles/mauldin-resident-shares-love-of-christmas-with-everyone#video-8770165
… and here’s a link to 2008 TV news footage from a helicopter: http://www2.wspa.com/news/2008/dec/23/160000_lights_make_mauldin_home_glow_for_christmas-ar-13928/
Awesome lights. Wow and a whole lot of work. Appreciated the pictures of your family too.