A World Record Breaking Christmas Display
People love it when you go all out for Christmas and cover your house in lights. They just might not want to live next to you . . .
A couple in New York state named Tim and Grace Gay hold the record for most Christmas lights on a residential property. Back in 2012, they put up over 346,000 lights. Then they beat their own record in 2014 with over 600,000 lights.
Thousands of people visit their house every December in Lagrangeville, New York, just outside Poughkeepsie. They use it as a fundraiser for local charities, and they’ve raised close to $700,000 over the years.
But now they’re dealing with a growing distaste among their neighbors, who are SICK OF IT. The lights are VERY bright, there’s an endless line of cars, and they blast music through big speakers. (Here’s a video from the other night.)
A guy named Edward Kasche compared it to “running a Legoland out of your property for 40 days a year.” He ran for a seat on the town board last year, just to make the city rein in the display. But he lost with 15% of the vote.
This year’s display is bigger than ever and should set another record. They say it includes over 720,000 lights, 1,700 strobes, and a playlist with 255 songs. They opened the day after Thanksgiving, and it runs through December 28th.
Tim and Grace don’t plan to do it forever. They say they’ll stop once they hit a grand total of $1 million in donations.
