Carson Williams' Christmas House
Netlore Archive: Viral video of Carson Williams' suburban house decorated with animated Christmas lights synchronized to 'Wizards of Winter' by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Description: Emailed video
Circulating since: Nov 2005
Status: Authentic
Email example contributed by Nancy C., 23 November 2005:
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Subject: FW: Christmas Light Mania This is something else. Carson Williams from Mason, Ohio used 88 Light-O-Rama channels to control his 16,000 christmas lights. The music is mesmerizing, the light display is enchanting, and I'd go crazy if I were his next door neighbor. So enjoy this clip and be happy we're in a different zipcode.  Watch Video |
Comments: The video is real. This amazing animated Christmas display, computer-synchronized to a rousing rendition of "Wizards in Winter" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, was constructed in 2004 by Carson Williams of Mason, Ohio using programmable light controllers and software made by Light-O-Rama of Garfield, New Jersey. The music was broadcast on FM radio so visitors could listen to it as they drove by the house in their cars.
Circulating since November 2005, the "Christmas House" video has become an Internet favorite and turned Carson Williams into a minor celebrity. He built a new display for the 2005 holiday season which had to be shut down well before Christmas, unfortunately, because it caused traffic congestion in the neighborhood.
2006 Update: Carson Williams' "Christmas in Lights" is back for 2006, this time installed in Mason, Ohio's Heritage Oaks Park. The new display consists of two full-size replicas of the facade of Williams' house, again decorated with tens of thousands of lights synchronized to music by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Williams has also designed Christmas displays for other cities, including Wheeler, West Virginia and Denver, Colorado. Full story...
2006 video: 2006 'Christmas in Lights' in Mason, OH by Carson Williams (via YouTube).
2006 video: 2006 'Symphony of Lights' in Denver, CO by Carson Williams and Parker 3D (via YouTube).
2007 Update: "Christmas in Lights" returned to Heritage Oaks Park in Mason, Ohio on Thanksgiving weekend 2007. This year's display, once again designed by Carson Williams, consists of two facades decorated with 65,000 lights synchronized to a musical score, plus a projected video performance by the Mason High School Wind Symphony. Full story...
Williams is also credited as a collaborator on the brand-new "Symphony in Lights" display at Promenade Bolingbrook in Bolingbrook, Illinois, as well as Toronto's "Starlight Spectacular," billed as a "first-of-its-kind-in-North-America digital symphony of stars," in the Yorkdale Shopping Centre.
2007 video: 2007 'Symphony of Lights' in Bolingbrook, IL (Part 2, Part 3 - via YouTube).
Related:
Christmas History, Traditions and Folklore
Learn about the history and customs of Christmas
Sources and further reading:
Christmas House Video Is Quite a Sight
KCCI-TV News, 1 December 2005Spectacular Holiday Lights Display Goes Dark
KCCI-TV News, 8 December 2005Mason Christmas Lights Creator Brightens Up Other Cities, Too
Oxford Press, 27 November 2006Mason's holiday lights dance again for another season
Cincinnati Enquirer, 21 November 2007
Last updated: 11/29/07
