for those that missed the great christmas light fight

[tbone321]

There is a REALLLLLY big difference between getting some help and paying someone to do it for you and I hope that you understand that.  If it's cool to do that, then I should cough up 20 grand and hire a professional company to do it all for me next year.  Then I can enter that contest and unless others in my group had the same idea, I have a pretty good chance of winning and making a 30G profit for my troubles which really consisted of not much more than writing a check.

[twooly]

Agree 100% with tbone.  There is nothing wrong getting help in parts but paying someone to do it is another thing.

[duane.mosley]

another take...  maybe anyone who receives help should also be disqualified...  maybe having neighbors hoisting up a huge arch, is a disqualifier... or asking for help in a forum.


Larson mentioned in the show that the CCRs were new.  If I was trying to get this up for the first time, I might get help with the sequencing.  Maybe stealing, borrowing, or paying for sequences.


SynchronizedChristmas is one of our Texas guys who specializes in LOR stuff.  He might have helped others, too.

this is the larson light show that won on the great christmas light fight. the strobes on this display are insane!

Interestingly, as I was watching the video, the CCRs shown some words scrolling by (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login). They flashed on and off for some reason and some bits seemed to be missing, but I was able to make out "SynchronizedChristmas.com".

I thought, "Hmmmm... I guess the owner of the house has a web site". I was WRONG. When I went there, it was for a company that does this sort of thing. The winner subcontracted his light display!?! WTF, that doesn't seem kosher to me--okay, the word "kosher" may not be the right term for Christmas, LOL. I thought it was a contest of peoples' own love of Christmas light decorating? By those rules, if the owner of this mansion enters the Light Fight contest next year... (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login), he should be supreme ruler of the Christmas light display universe, and we all should bow our heads before him!!! For more info visit: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

i'm with you! that's not kosher!!! he should have been disqualified and the contestant with the arch over his house should be awarded the prize.(we thought that they should have one that episode any way)  if he didn't do everything for his show and paid some one to do the sequencing I don't think that is fair. all though it was an amazing show and he did install it, the sequencing was done professionally so that should disqualify him. I was under the impression that it was an "amateur" contest.  IMHO

duane

I think you misunderstood. I for one am all for getting help steve. I am glad that someone on this forum runs the company that helped him and I think they did an amazing job!   all I am saying is if your going to pay a professional to set up your show, you shouldn't be able to enter an amateur contest.   I like every one else on this forum would absolutely die for "some help" when it comes to setting up our shows. I mean, let's be honest. we all borrowed sequences from someone(holdman seems to be the favorite) when setting up our shows for the first time. you almost have to in order to understand what programs effects do what.

[taybrynn]

I'm sure the prize money doesn't even come close to covering the cost of this winning show ... but I agree with others, you have contests for the pros and then contests for the rest of us who mostly do it all ourselves and in very limited budgets.   Personally I could care less about winning contests or publicity ... It's a road to nowhere good.   I like RJ' comment (of doing this) "To put smiles on faces" ... and obviously to honor The savior ... That's enough for me.

[travailen]

   Personally I could care less about winning contests or publicity ... It's a road to nowhere good.   I like RJ' comment (of doing this) "To put smiles on faces" ... and obviously to honor The savior ... That's enough for me.

+1 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Including the faces on the kids. One family told me that their children make them come to my house every night when the show is running. I got a late start this year and cars would come by each night when I was setting up the show and ask when the show will be running. I could see the disappointment on the kids faces when they came and the show was not running yet.

Rick S
 

[Gary]

Okay, I'm not the type to stir the pot, but it looks like I have. But now I can't help but to stir it more...

This URL on the Synchronized Christmas web site shows a link to My Desert Lights: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

Once at My Desert Lights, I clicked on the Gallery Link: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

I thought the house looked familiar. So I clicked on About Us: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login. I thought I recognized the faces as well, so I looked up the address on Google Maps and Street View (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login), and it's totally the place (complete with the Santa's Workshop image over the garage door) that was on Christmas Light Fight.

Is this all major co-incidence?

I agree that it's hard to draw a line between what constitutes professional help or not... is a Light-O-Rama controller considered "professional help", versus assembling your own controller, or designing your own controller (like RJ does), or manufacturing your own microchips from Earth minerals? ... I imagine not even RJ can pull that off, LOL! Is there a difference between buying controllers directly from Light-O-Rama, or from You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login Perhaps that's all that the guys on Christmas Light Fight did. Who knows?

[mms]

I'm sure the prize money doesn't even come close to covering the cost of this winning show ... but I agree with others, you have contests for the pros and then contests for the rest of us who mostly do it all ourselves and in very limited budgets.   Personally I could care less about winning contests or publicity ... It's a road to nowhere good.   I like RJ' comment (of doing this) "To put smiles on faces" ... and obviously to honor The savior ... That's enough for me.

   Personally I could care less about winning contests or publicity ... It's a road to nowhere good.   I like RJ' comment (of doing this) "To put smiles on faces" ... and obviously to honor The savior ... That's enough for me.

+1 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Including the faces on the kids. One family told me that their children make them come to my house every night when the show is running. I got a late start this year and cars would come by each night when I was setting up the show and ask when the show will be running. I could see the disappointment on the kids faces when they came and the show was not running yet.

Rick S
 

We live close to an elementary school and every afternoon I was in the yard setting up the show, kids (and parents) walking by wanted to know "when does it start".  I did more networking in one afternoon than I would going to an organized event!  I even found out that a Westwood One radio sales manager lives on our street (major provider of content to smaller market stations) and the new neighbor wanted to introduce himself as well (he's interested in getting into the hobby.)  Gage, the little boy across the street, always yells out, "I LOVE YOUR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!"  Gage's dad needs some LED lighting for a project he's working on and asked if I knew where to get some!  LOL.  Whereas some people are having issues with a Grinch-y neighbor, my display seems to bring a little happiness to my corner of the world.

"Likes" on our Facebook page are way up.  And the comments/feedback I've received have been all positive. 

Granted, would a $50K paycheck for doing something I would have done anyway be nice, of course.  But this hobby gives me more.  Never thought I'd say that, but it's true.